These strawberry coconut lime cupcakes are filled with sweet strawberry preserves and frosted with lime buttercream. Then, they’re garnished with shredded coconut and a sliced strawberry to tie everything together.
I am so excited to share the blog’s first cupcake recipe with you all today! As you know, there’s nothing I love more than a good layer cake, but every so often, a delightful cupcake is just what you need! This recipe was created on impulse after I spotted some strawberries and limes sitting side-by-side in the fridge. Suddenly, inspiration struck and I grabbed some coconut, hoping it would be the perfect complement for a cupcake. Spoiler alert, it was!
I think there’s just something so refreshing about the combination of strawberries, coconut, and lime. It feels summery and a little tropical – exactly what you need if you’re going to be turning the oven on in the summer heat! Which you probably aren’t surprised to learn I am always doing because I’m essentially addicted to baking.
The coconut flavor in these strawberry coconut lime cupcakes comes from the addition of both coconut milk and shredded coconut in the batter. I actually used to really hate coconut as a kid, but nowadays I’m a really big fan. There’s literally always shredded coconut around in my kitchen for tossing haphazardly into muffins, granola, energy bites, smoothie bowls – and now cupcakes!
To pack these cupcakes with a good punch of strawberry flavor, each one is filled with strawberry preserves (your favorite store-bought brand will do). I don’t know about you, but I really love making filled cupcakes. I feel like they are such a crowd pleaser and there’s so many fun fillings you can use– the possibilities are endless! But if you’ve never made a filled cupcake before, don’t worry, I’ve got your back.
The first step in filling a cupcake is to remove the center “core”. There is a pretty cool cupcake coring gadget out there that helps make this task a little more efficient. But if you don’t have one on hand, you can also easily core a cupcake with a small paring knife.
Oh, speaking of knives… we just found out that there’s been a recall issued on our knife set. We’re planning on sending it back later this week to get a replacement, but I’m trying to figure out what to do in the meantime with no kitchen knives?!? I am officially taking suggestions for any meal recipes that require zero chopping, slicing, or dicing. Please, send them my way!
But anyway, back to filling cupcakes. You simply need to cut out a small, cone-shaped piece from the center of the cupcake with your paring knife. You can find detailed directions for this in the recipe below. As I was writing it out, I realized it all sounded so mathematical! But don’t worry, it doesn’t need to be exactly precise, think of any “measurements” as guidelines, just to give you an idea. Besides, if it doesn’t turn out looking perfect, you’re going to end up covering the cupcakes with a big dollop of lime buttercream anyway (and then devouring them)!
Strawberry Coconut Lime Cupcakes
Ingredients
Coconut Lime Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Lime Buttercream
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- zest of one lime
- 3-4 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 pinch salt
For Assembly
- 3-4 small strawberries
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup strawberry jam
Instructions
For the Coconut Lime Cupcakes
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a muffin pan with paper liners and spray lightly with cooking spray.
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Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium sized bowl.
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Beat oil and sugar together until well combined.
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With mixer on low speed, add egg, then egg whites one at a time. Mix until incorporated after each addition.
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Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add lime juice, lime zest, vanilla, and coconut milk. Mix until combined.
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Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed just until combined. Then add the second half and continue mixing until incorporated.
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Fold in the unsweetened coconut flakes with a spatula.
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Divide the batter evenly between the muffin tins.
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Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Then, lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
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Remove from oven and let cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Then, transfer cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool completely.
For the Lime Buttercream
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Using a hand mixer, or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, beat butter on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until very light and fluffy.
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Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated.
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Add lime zest, lime juice, and a pinch of salt. Mix until combined.
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Adjust as needed to achieve desired consistency and taste: add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin, more lime juice if it is too thick.
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Beat on high speed until light and fluffy.
To Assemble the Cupcakes
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To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the center of each cupcake using a small paring knife. Start by cutting a circle in the top of each cupcake about 1 inch in diameter. Then, slice 2/3 of the way into the cupcake, angling the knife towards the center, in the shape of a cone. The point of the cone will be pointing downward.
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Remove the core from the cupcake and set aside. Spoon strawberry jam into the center of the cupcake.
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Trim the cone-shaped core so that only the circular piece from the very top of the cupcake remains (about 1/4 of an inch thick). Replace this piece on top of the jam as a "lid" over the filling.
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Frost as desired with the lime buttercream. I used a pastry bag fitted with an extra large, round piping tip and frosted a basic swirl.
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Place coconut flakes in a small, shallow bowl. Dip each cupcake, frosted side down, into the bowl and roll in coconut flakes until frosted cupcake is covered in coconut.
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Garnish each cupcake with a strawberry slice.
4 comments
Perfect for summer. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
My thoughts exactly! You are so welcome, hope you enjoy!
Do you use canned coconut milk or coconut milk in the fridge section?
Hi Jamie, I recommend canned coconut milk!