coconut is one of those flavors that’s a hit or miss with people. you either love it or dislike it. there’s no in between or grey area with coconut for sure!

i personally love coconut because it reminds me of the weekends spent at the beach growing up. but i totally understand if you don’t love it – you aren’t alone! several of my friends and people i know despite coconut and i’m okay with that :)

the recipe calls for tons of coconut milk and coconut flakes in both the cake and frosting. the cake is light, fluffy and moist. seriously moist, and very flavorful. it’s a very white cake since i used cake flour and egg whites. so that’s why it has a lighter texture and a small crumb and can’t wait for you to try it!

cream butter and add sugar to the bowl.

egg whites make this cake amazingly fluffy!

scrape the bowl so all ingredients are incorporated.

add coconut milk and finish with the coconut flakes.

scoop batter into paper liners.

and voila! the cupcakes are ready to be eaten devoured.

look at that !

coconut lovers cupcakes

ingredients:
2 and 1/4 cups cake flour
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature {still cold to the touch; sitting on the kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes}
1 and 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
5 large egg whites, room temperature {sitting on the kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes}
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 cups light unsweetened coconut milk, room temperature {sitting on the kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes}
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes, packed

coconut buttercream frosting ingredients:
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature but still cold to the touch
2 and 1/4 cups powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk, room temperature
1 and 1/4 cups sweetened coconut flakes for garnish {optional but highly recommended}

yields 21 cupcakes

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350F. line two standard cupcake pans with paper liners {21 cups in total} and set aside. in a large bowl, sift cake flour, baking powder and salt. mix with a whisk and set aside.
2. cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 1 minute over medium speed {kitchenaid setting #5}.
3. add sugar to butter and cream together for 3 minutes over medium speed until fluffy.
4. set speed to medium low {kitchenaid setting #4} and add egg whites, two at a time, and mixing 20 seconds in between to incorporate well. add vanilla and mix for 30 more seconds.
5. stop mixer to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and paddle attachment and mix on high for 30 second to mix all ingredients well. if batter curds beat for 30 seconds more.
6. set speed to the lowest setting and alternate coconut milk with flour mixture in three additions.
7. add coconut flakes and mix until incorporated, about 15 seconds. do not over mix batter. if needed, scrape the sides of the bowl and mix with a rubber spatula.
8. scoop batter into paper lined cups with a standard ice cream scoop filling them 3/4 full.
9. bake for 18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, rotating cupcakes half way through. let them cool in the pan on a wire rack for 2 minutes and out of the pan for about 30 minutes on the same wire rack.
10. make the frosting: cream butter for 3 minutes over medium speed {setting #5 on kitchenaid} with the whisk attachment of a stand mixer. once done creaming, mix for 30 more seconds at high speed. stop mixer. add sugar and beat at the lowest speed setting possible for 1 to 2 minutes until combined. while mixing add vanilla, salt and milk. increase speed to setting #6 or medium high and beat for 3 more minutes until fluffy and creamy.
11. frost cupcakes and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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