These Almond Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream Frosting are the perfect flavor combo! The Coconut Buttercream that tops these is crazy delicious, light and rich all at the same time. Perfect for any occasion!
Don’t you just love a sweet cupcake?
And of course they say you eat with your eyes first (which I think sounds creepy, but whatev) so these are as pretty as they are delicious! I call them Tea Party cupcakes because they are perfect for ladylike type people.
But don’t let their daintiness scare you. My husband ate 4 and he’s still a man.
The cupcakes are a light almond flavor with a sweet coconut frosting. I used Cream of Coconut in the frosting, so it’s a light sweet coconut flavor. If you like a more intense coconut in these you could easily add a bit of coconut extract. Or you could even use a traditional buttercream frosting if you prefer!
I used European Style Butter when I made the frosting for this recipe to amp up the richness factor, but you absolutely don’t have to. You can simply use regular unsalted butter instead!
When I baked the cupcakes I used some almond extract, which makes the cupcake nutty and sweet. Paired with the coconut frosting it’s perfect!
The frosting is super simple. I used Cream of Coconut in the frosting which is so delicious. If your cream of coconut has separated when you open the can dump it all in the blender or small food processor and mix it until it’s smooth.
Add that right in with your butter and powdered sugar and beat it until it’s creamy! Pipe it on your cupcakes and even top them with some toasted coconut if you’d like to!
I made my cupcakes mini, which is perfect for a tea party, brunch or small occasion.
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Almond Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Challenge Butter, room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 3/4 cup whole milk
Frosting
- 1 cup Challenge Butter, room temperature
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup Cream of Coconut
- 1/2 tsp coconut extract if desired
- Toasted coconut for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. (12 standard cupcakes or 24 minis)
- Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in medium bow, set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar together in stand mixer until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add in eggs and extracts and continue mixing until smooth, scraping sides as necessary.
- Add in one third of the flour mixture and then half of the milk, mixing until combined. Repeat process, ending in flour mixture. Beat until smooth.
- Fill cupcake liners up 2/3 full and bake for 20 minutes for standard size cupcakes and 10-15 for mini. Remove from oven when centers spring back to the touch. Allow to cool before frosting.
Frosting
- Beat butter until smooth. Add in powdered sugar and Cream of Coconut and beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Add in coconut extract is desired to intensify the coconut flavor.
- Cream of coconut in the can may separate. If this happens, mix it together in blender or food processor until combined and smooth before adding to the frosting.
- Frost cupcakes.
- Garnish with toasted coconut if desired.
Keywords: cookies and cups, almond cupcakes, coconut frosting, cupcake recipe
I made these last weekend and they were a big hit. I modified the recipe a bit. First, I cut the buttercream in half. Five cups of powdered sugar makes way too much. I used creme of coconut, but should have added extract as well, because I could barely taste any coconut flavor over the sweetness of the sugar and CoC. It was still good though, and the toasted coconut garnish gave it some extra flavor.
Second, I used vanilla almond milk and substituted 1/3 of the flour with almond flour, since I had some left over from making macarons. Because the almond flour is a bit more coarse, I pulverized it a bit in the food processor with the regular flour, then sieved it through a sifter. Not sure if it added any almond flavor, but I did lighten up on the almond extract a touch as well and they were plenty almondy. I also added about 2 TBS of flaked coconut to the batter while mixing, to give it a little texture.
It made 12 full-size cupcakes and I had enough batter and frosting left for about 15 mini ones.
I’ll probably make these again, but with a different buttercream recipe using extract and skipping the creme of coconut.
★★★★
I just love reading what you write about your recipes! You make me laugh 🙂
I tried making this recipe and the cupcakes turned out great. However, the frosting was very sweet and sugary. I made it again two days ago with two and a half cups of sugar instead of five cups and it still tasted very sweet. I didn’t taste any coconut either. What should I do to make it less sweet and more flavorful?
Can I use coconut milk instead? I have a case of those from Costco. Also, I don’t like the almond flavor ,so I’ll just leave out the almond extract. However, can I use coconut milk in the cupcake instead of just regular milk? I love coconut, so I want the coconut flavor to come through in the cupcakes and in the frosting. Thanks!
I have tried baking with coconut milk and have never found it to be a good source of flavor, and tends to make the baked good a bit denser. I would recommend using coconut flavored extract if you really want a coconut taste!