These Coconut Lime Cupcakes are the sweet-tart springtime treats of your dreams, and perfect for lovers of the tropics! Fluffy coconut-infused cupcakes are stuffed with tangy key lime curd, then topped with a crown of lime cream cheese buttercream and a sprinkle of flaked coconut.
We are super excited to be working with Eggland’s Best in 2018 to create a dozen delicious sponsored recipe posts to keep you drooling!
Put the lime in the coconut and eat ’em both together.
Really, these cupcakes are the only appropriate thing to eat on this A) Monday, B) day after Easter, C) April 2nd WTF.
Make your own Coconut Lime Cupcakes!
So seriously, is it really April already? It feels like I was just putting up my Christmas tree, and now we’ve zoomed past Easter and are hurtling towards another sweltering Florida summer.
Ugh. I don’t wanna talk about it. Thank goodness for air conditioning, that’s all I’m gonna say.
Whether you enjoy these Coconut Lime Cupcakes outdoors or not, you’re absolutely going to feel summer vibes with every bite!
They start with a fluffy coconut cupcake base. When I say coconut, I mean COCONUT. These babies are made with FOUR forms of coconut. Milk, extract, and desiccated coconut are inside the cake, and the finished product is sprinkled with the sweet flaked stuff. Just saying – if you’re a coconut fan, you won’t be disappointed.
It’s what’s inside that counts.
My favorite part of these coconut lime cupcakes, however, is the filling. This homemade lime curd may very well be the best stuff on the planet. It’s mostly tart, but not unpleasantly so. You can adjust the sweetness based on your own tastes by adding more sugar.
Making it to include inside the cupcakes requires a little planning and some extra work, but believe me, it’s SO worth it.
The curd recipe makes much more than you need, but you probably won’t mind. You’re gonna be spreading it on pancakes and cookies, maybe drizzling it on fruit salad…it is some seriously good stuff.
To balance the sweet and tart flavors of the cupcake and curd, I decided the perfect frosting had to be cream cheese-based.
Browsing through the cupcake recipes on this blog, you’ll probably notice that I’m a big fan of cream cheese frosting. I’ve never cared for American buttercream alone. I’d much rather mix it all up with some tangy cream cheese and cut down on the powdered sugar.
Adding some lime juice and zest to this cream cheese buttercream took it to a whole new level, and surprisingly it doesn’t overwhelm the coconut.
There’s plenty (a half dozen to be exact) of eggy goodness in these cupcakes, between the cake and curd. Using Eggland’s Best eggs in the lime curd and cupcakes means more omega-3s – more than double what an ordinary large egg provides.
Even though you may be eating an indulgent dessert, you can feel better knowing that you’re doing it the right way! Gobbling up essential fatty acids never tasted so good!
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A few tips to make these key lime coconut cupcakes even better:
- Make sure to use room temperature butter for the cupcakes and the frosting, as well as room temperature eggs for the lime curd. Pulling them out of the refrigerator about 2 hours prior to baking will do the trick. If you’re in a hurry, there are some easy hacks to speed up the process.
- To quickly warm up eggs, place them in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 6-8 minutes.
- To bring cold butter to room temperature, microwave a large glass with a bit water in it, dump out the water, and invert the bowl over the stick of butter for 10-15 minutes.
- Another method is to place the butter in a zipper bag and pound it with a rolling pin or meat mallet until it’s soft, then leave it on the counter for a few minutes until it warms up.
- When making the lime curd, be sure to keep the stovetop temperature on low, and continuously whisk the mixture to avoid scorching and curdling. This tip brought to you by someone who has ruined many a curd by walking away from the stove.
- Don’t overmix the cupcake batter! Mix until it’s just combined, then gently fold in the coconut at the end. You don’t want these cupcakes to be too dense.
- For pretty domed cupcakes every time, place them in a 400 degree F oven, then drop the temperature immediately to 350 degrees F. The initial blast of high heat will cause the outside of the cupcakes to rise quickly, creating a lovely dome. As the heat decreases, the inside bakes at the same rate, also keeping the outside from burning.
If you’re in love with coconut & lime together, you’ll adore these recipes!
- Coconut Key Lime Cheesecake Dip
- Coconut Lime Cheesecake Bars
- Coconut Lime Frozen Margarita
- Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies
- Coconut Lime Shrimp
Coconut Lime Cupcakes
Ingredients
Coconut Cupcakes
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 Eggland's Best large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 cup coconut milk well blended
- ⅓ cup desiccated coconut
Key Lime Curd
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Eggland's Best large eggs room temperature
- ⅔ cup key lime juice
- Zest of 2 limes
- Pinch kosher salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter cold and cubed
Lime Cream Cheese Buttercream
- 1 8 ounce package cream cheese softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 2-3 drops green food color optional
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar sifted
Instructions
Coconut Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 standard cupcake pans with 18 liners; set aside. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a mixer, cream butter and sugar until smooth, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time, blending well between each addition. And the vanilla and coconut extracts and mix until well combined, about 2 minutes.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and blend, then add the coconut milk. Mix well. Blend in the remaining dry ingredients until just combined, then fold in the desiccated coconut.
- Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way. Place tins in the oven and immediately drop the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake 19-20 minutes, checking at 15 for proper doming.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. When cool, use a cupcake corer or small knife to make a well in the center of each cupcake.
Key Lime Curd
- Place eggs and sugar in a medium saucepan and whisk to combine. Add lime juice, zest, and salt and whisk until smooth.
- Place the saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 4-5 minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add the butter, stirring until butter is melted and mixture is smooth.
- Strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve into a mason jar or bowl; discard any solids. Cool curd to room temperature, then refrigerate, covered, until chilled.
- Fill cored cupcakes with cold lime curd. Refrigerate any remaining curd in the jar for 2-3 weeks.
Lime Cream Cheese Buttercream
- Beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until combined and creamy, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add lime juice, zest, and 2-3 drops of green food coloring. Beat on low speed just until combined, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until incorporated, then increase speed to high and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before piping or spreading onto cooled, filled cupcakes. Sprinkle with shredded coconut and garnish with key lime slices.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Jenn L says
The thought of Summer here in FL has me ready to hide in my freezer! These look like a perfect Spring + Summer treat and I cannot wait tot make a big pan of them! YUM!!!
Diana Johnson says
Oh my goodness, my favorite flavors in a tender, curd filled cupcake. AMAZING!!!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
This coconut and lime combo sounds delish! They’re super cute too!
Carolyn says
These are the perfect cupcakes for spring!