Anna Louise I make these coconut cupcakes when I want something that feels genuinely tropical and different from the standard vanilla or chocolate options. The toasted desiccated coconut in the sponge gives a fragrance and a slight chewiness that makes every bite interesting.
The coconut buttercream on top is silky, slightly sweet, and clearly coconut without being heavy or cloying. And the toasted coconut scattered over the frosting gives texture, visual appeal, and a final burst of fragrance.
These are the cupcakes that disappear fastest at any bake sale I have attended, because they look different from everything else on the table and they taste exactly as good as they look.
The technique is the same as every cupcake recipe on this site — creamed butter and sugar, eggs added one at a time, flour folded in gently. The difference is the toasted coconut in the batter and the coconut cream in the frosting.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Coconut Cupcakes
For the Coconut Cupcakes (Makes 12)
- 150g unsalted butter, softened
- 150g golden caster sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 125g self-raising flour, sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 75g desiccated coconut, toasted until lightly golden
- 3 tbsp coconut cream — from a tin of full-fat coconut cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lime
For the Coconut Buttercream
- 175g unsalted butter, softened
- 350g icing sugar, sifted twice
- 4 tbsp coconut cream — from a tin of full-fat coconut cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of fine salt
To Decorate
- 50g desiccated coconut, toasted until golden — scattered over the frosting
- 12 thin slices of lime — one per cupcake
- Edible flowers (optional — makes them look genuinely beautiful)
How to Make Mary Berry Coconut Cupcakes
Step 1 — Toast the Coconut
Place the 75g of desiccated coconut for the cupcakes and the 50g for decoration in a large dry frying pan over a medium heat. Stir constantly for three to four minutes until evenly, lightly golden. Remove immediately — it continues to colour after leaving the pan. Spread on a plate to cool. Set aside the 50g for decoration separately.
Step 2 — Preheat and Prepare
Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Line a 12-hole deep muffin tin with paper cupcake cases.
Step 3 — Make the Cupcake Batter
Beat the softened butter and golden caster sugar together for three to four minutes until pale and genuinely fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add the vanilla extract and lime zest.
Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl. Add the toasted desiccated coconut and coconut cream. Fold gently until just combined — the batter will be slightly stiffer than a plain vanilla batter because of the coconut absorbing moisture.
Step 4 — Fill and Bake
Divide the batter evenly between the twelve cupcake cases — two-thirds full. I use an ice cream scoop for consistent portions.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until risen, golden, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tin for five minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely — at least 45 minutes — before frosting.
Step 5 — Make the Coconut Buttercream
Beat the softened butter alone on medium-high speed for four full minutes until very pale and genuinely fluffy. Add the double-sifted icing sugar in three batches, beating well after each. Add the coconut cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat for two more minutes until smooth, silky, and pipeable.
Taste — the buttercream should be clearly coconut-flavoured and well-balanced. If the coconut flavour seems mild, add an extra tablespoon of coconut cream and beat for another minute.
Step 6 — Pipe and Decorate
Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle. Pipe a generous, confident swirl onto each completely cooled cupcake.
Scatter the toasted desiccated coconut over the buttercream immediately — it adheres to fresh buttercream easily. Place a thin slice of lime on top of each cupcake. Add an edible flower if using.
Tips For Best Mary Berry Coconut Cupcakes
Toast all the coconut before you start. Both the coconut for the batter and the coconut for decoration need toasting. The three to four minutes in a dry pan transforms the coconut from mild and slightly dusty to golden, fragrant, and deeply coconut-flavoured. It is the single most important step in this recipe.
Use coconut cream not coconut milk in both the batter and the buttercream. Coconut milk is too thin — it dilutes the batter and makes the buttercream too liquid. Coconut cream is richer and more concentrated and gives a genuinely pronounced coconut flavour in both components.
Lime zest in the batter — not lemon. Lime and coconut is a tropical pairing that has been working beautifully for centuries. The lime zest gives a vivid, slightly floral citrus note that makes the coconut flavour more interesting and more specifically tropical. Lemon is a perfectly reasonable substitute but lime is better here.
Beat butter alone for four minutes. This is the instruction that appears in every buttercream recipe and matters every time. Four minutes of beating butter alone creates the aerated base that gives the coconut buttercream its silky, light quality.
Scatter toasted coconut on the buttercream immediately after piping. Set buttercream does not hold sprinkled decorations — they sit on top and fall off when the cupcake is picked up. Fresh buttercream gives the coconut something to bed into.
Serving Suggestions
On a tiered stand at an afternoon tea — they look genuinely beautiful and completely distinctive. At a summer garden party. As individual birthday cupcakes where a tropical flavour feels appropriate.
How to Store Mary Berry Coconut Cupcakes
At room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The coconut keeps the cupcakes moist.
In the freezer: Freeze unfrosted cupcakes individually wrapped for up to 3 months. Add the coconut buttercream fresh after defrosting.
Mary Berry Coconut Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Toast 75g desiccated coconut and 50g for decoration in a dry pan 3–4 minutes until lightly golden — cool. Set aside 50g separately.
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with cases.
- Beat butter and sugar 3–4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and lime zest. Sift in flour and baking powder. Add 75g toasted coconut and coconut cream — fold gently.
- Divide between cases — two-thirds full. Bake 18–20 minutes until risen and skewer comes out clean. Cool in tin 5 minutes — transfer to wire rack. Cool completely.
- Beat butter alone 4 minutes. Add icing sugar in 3 batches. Add coconut cream, vanilla, and salt — beat 2 more minutes. Taste and adjust.
- Pipe a generous swirl onto each cooled cupcake. Scatter toasted coconut immediately. Top with a lime slice and edible flower if using.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use dedicated coconut extract instead of coconut cream?
Coconut extract gives a slightly artificial, slightly flat coconut flavour compared to real coconut cream. I always prefer coconut cream — it gives a genuine, rounded coconut character.
Can I add pineapple to the batter?
Yes — 75g of very well-drained tinned pineapple, patted completely dry and finely chopped, gives a pina colada character that is completely wonderful. The pineapple must be very dry or it makes the batter too wet.
Can I use a cream cheese frosting instead of buttercream?
Yes — the coconut cream cheese frosting from the cherry and coconut cake recipe on this site works beautifully on these cupcakes. It gives a slightly tangier, slightly less sweet result.
Why is my coconut buttercream too thin?
Too much coconut cream was added or the butter was too soft. Refrigerate the buttercream for fifteen minutes until firm — do not add more icing sugar, which makes it sweeter and heavier without solving the consistency problem.
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