These coconut cream pie cupcakes are just like the pie, but in cupcake form! Coconut is found in the cake, frosting, and in the coconut custard filling. These cupcakes are full of coconut flavour!
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🥧A pie in a cupcake form
I love coconut cream pie and was so excited to try and make a cupcake taste just like the pie. I did it! These coconut cream pie cupcakes are so fun to make and have so much coconut taste throughout them.
You can easily make these cupcakes over several days. The coconut custard filling can be made up to 3 days in advance. You can also toast the shredded coconut a day ahead. Looking to save more time? Use a boxed vanilla cupcake instead and follow along with the rest of my recipe!
For more cupcake recipes, try my peach bellini cupakes, cranberry mimosa cupcakes, pink lemonade cupcakes or Harry Potter butterbeer cupcakes!
🥘Ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Vegetable shortening - you can make all butter frosting if you prefer. Remove the shortening and use 1 cup of butter.
- Shredded coconut - Make sure you use sweetened flaked coconut. You want big chunks of coconut for this recipe.
- Plain Greek yogurt - I suggest using Greek yogurt over regular yogurt because it's a thicker consistency.
🔪Instructions
Coconut Custard Filling
Add egg yolks to a small bowl, saving the egg whites for the cupcake part of the recipe. In a medium saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch. Heat over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Add coconut milk and continue heating until the mixture is hot, but not boiling.
While whisking constantly, pour a ¼ of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks. This helps the eggs get to the same temperature as the milk mixture, without cooking the eggs. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the other ingredients, and heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Remove from heat and pour mixture into a medium bowl. Strain with a fine mesh strainer if you prefer. Mix in cold butter and salt. Then mix in shredded coconut. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard, and let chill in the refrigerator until cold, about 2 hours.
Coconut Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a medium bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
Combine sugar and melted butter. The mixture will be grainy. Add yogurt, coconut milk, egg whites, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Divide batter in 12-14 cupcake liners, filling each liner ¾ of the way with batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Coconut Buttercream Frosting
When cupcakes have cooled, use a spoon or a cupcake corer to remove the center of the cupcake. Fill with coconut custard.
Before making the frosting, toast the shredded coconut. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Place coconut on a parchment lined baking tray. Cook for 4 minutes. Remove, stir, and then cook for another 4 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature while you make the frosting.
To make the frosting, cream butter and shortening together in a large bowl. Add powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add 2-3 tablespoons of coconut milk until the buttercream is at a piping consistency.
Pipe frosting on to cupcakes. Decorate with toasted shredded coconut. Leftover cupcakes should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
✔️Expert tips
- These cupcakes have a few steps to them, so break it up and do some steps the day before! The shredded coconut can be toasted the day before, and the coconut custard can be made up to 3 days in advance!
- Don't overmix the cupcake batter. Mix until the dry ingredients are just mixed in. I use a mixer and I like to hand mix the dry ingredients in so I don't accidently overmix the batter.
- Shake the coconut milk every time before measuring it out. It separates as it sits. If it separates in the measuring cup, stir it together before adding it to the batter.
- Don't have a piping bag and tip? Cut a large corner off the end of a zip lock bag. Use the zip lock bag like a piping bag, and pipe mounds of frosting on top of the cupcakes.
💭FAQs
Because the cupcakes are filled with a custard filling, they need to be refrigerated.
You can freeze the cupcakes without the filling in them, and without frosting. Store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
🔖Related recipes
📋 Recipe
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Coconut Cream Pie Cupcakes
Ingredients
Coconut Custard Filling
- 2 large egg yolks keep egg whites for cupcake recipe
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter cold
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
Coconut Cupcakes
- 1 ⅔ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt room temperature
- ¾ cup coconut milk room tempertature
- 2 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Coconut Buttercream Frosting
- ¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable shortening room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons coconut milk
Instructions
Coconut Custard Filling
- Add egg yolks to a small bowl, saving the egg whites for the cupcake part of the recipe.
- In a medium saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch. Heat over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Add coconut milk and continue heating until the mixture is hot, but not boiling.
- While whisking constantly, pour a ¼ of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks. This helps the eggs get to the same temperature as the milk mixture, without cooking the eggs.
- Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the other ingredients, and heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
- Remove from heat and pour mixture into a medium bowl. Strain with a fine mesh strainer if you prefer. Mix in cold butter and salt. Then mix in shredded coconut.
- Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard, and let chill in the refrigerator until cold, about 2 hours.
Coconut Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
- Combine sugar and melted butter. The mixture will be grainy. Add yogurt, coconut milk, egg whites, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Divide batter in 12-14 cupcake liners, filling each liner ¾ of the way with batter.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- When cupcakes have cooled, use a spoon or a cupcake corer to remove the center of the cupcake. Fill with coconut custard.
Coconut Buttercream Frosting
- Before making the frosting, toast the shredded coconut. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Place coconut on a parchment lined baking tray.
- Cook for 4 minutes. Remove, stir, and then cook for another 4 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature while you make the frosting.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and shortening together. Add powdered sugar and mix until combined.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of coconut milk until the buttercream is at a piping consistency.
- Pipe frosting on to cupcakes. Decorate with toasted shredded coconut. Leftover cupcakes should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Did you try this recipe? Comment below to let me know ☺️