Mother Lovett was famous for her coconut cream pie. I was famous for eating it.
I haven’t quite mastered her pie crust, so instead I made the next best thing — coconut cream cupcakes.
I love coconut and will happily eat it in anything.
My husband, on the other hand, hates coconut. I’ve tried to sneak it into dishes—sometimes that works (ricotta, figs, almonds)—but he always finds it. He even claimed he didn’t like broiled chicken, until I reminded him of several broiled chicken dishes he’s eaten recently.
Still, I don’t expect him to love my coconut obsession anytime soon. Maybe if I smothered it with six different cuts of meat…
I adapted my vanilla bean cupcake recipe, adding coconut milk and heavy cream to the batter for extra richness.
The cake turned out creamy and rich even before frosting, and a sprinkle of toasted coconut on top finished them perfectly — I love coconut toasted even more than plain.
Coconut Cream Cupcakes
Makes about 16 cupcakes
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup shredded coconut
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Cream the butter, sugar, and eggs together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add half of the dry mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in the coconut milk and heavy cream, then add the remaining dry ingredients. Fold in the shredded coconut.
Divide the batter among cupcake tins and bake 20–25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
Coconut Cream Frosting
1 stick butter, softened
2 (4 oz) blocks cream cheese, softened
1.5–2 lbs powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (4 oz) package instant coconut cream pudding mix (or similar)
Toasted shredded coconut, for garnish
Beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar until you reach the desired sweetness and consistency. Mix in the instant pudding mix and vanilla, then beat until the frosting is fluffy. Frost cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with toasted coconut.
While writing this, I remembered my husband has eaten coconut — he loves the fried coconut shrimp from Sam’s Club. So my theory stands: he’s eaten more things he says he hates than he admits. I am always right.