Coconut and lime is perhaps my favorite combo of all tropical flavors. The bright pop of lime against the soft coconut background always keeps me coming back for more. These Coconut-Lime Cupcakes will do just that, so you might want to double the recipe before they disappear! These cupcakes are perfectly tender and topped with a coconut and lime cream cheese frosting. In short: perfection!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Cupcakes
- Boxed cake mix – Yellow or white. We like Duncan Hines.
- Eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Sour cream – Full fat is best.
- Vanilla extract
- Coconut extract
- Fresh lime zest
- Shredded coconut – Sweetened or unsweetened. Find them near the chocolate chips on the baking aisle.
Frosting and Garnishes
- Cream cheese – Full fat. Normally I say low fat is ok, but this frosting truly has better texture with full fat.
- Butter – Always use real butter if you can.
- Powdered sugar
- Fresh lime juice
- Coconut extract
- Lime zest – For garnish.
- Shredded coconut – For garnish. You can toast it first if you’d like!
How to Make Coconut-Lime Cupcakes
- You’ll start by making your cupcakes. Mix up a dry cake mix (disregard the ingredients and instructions on the package), a few eggs, some vegetable oil, sour cream, vanilla and coconut extracts, and the zest of one lime.
- That gets whipped up really well then you’ll gently mix in some coconut shreds, divide the batter among 24 cupcake liners, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- To make the frosting, you’ll whip some cream cheese and butter until fluffy, then add powdered sugar, a little lime juice, and coconut extract and whip to combine.
- Once cupcakes are completely cool, frost with frosting and sprinkle a little shredded coconut and lime zest on for garnish.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator (must be refrigerated for storage due to cream cheese frosting) and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Make sure you don’t overbake your cupcakes or they will be dry. Keep a close eye on them and check for doneness as soon as they look like they are getting close!
- If you’d like to toast your coconut before using as a garnish, spread coconut out on a baking sheet or oven-safe dish and bake for about 2-5 minutes, stirring every 30-60 seconds at 375°F until it reaches a nice golden brown. For more details see this How to Toast Coconut post.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Change up the add ins and extracts however you like. This is a great basic cupcake recipe. The same is true for the cream cheese frosting!
Definitely! For best results I’d recommend storing the cupcakes and frosting separately (frosting in the fridge because of the cream cheese). When ready to frost, set your frosting out for about 30 minutes to come to room temperature, rewhip briefly, and frost as desired.
The cupcakes themselves will freeze well. I would recommend making the frosting fresh when you’re ready to decorate and serve.
You bet! I don’t have baking times for you, but I would recommend using the times listed on the back of the cake mix box as a general guideline, then just keep a close eye on things and test for doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake.
Coconut-Lime Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 yellow or white cake mix we’re hopelessly devoted to Duncan Hines
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons coconut extract
- zest of 1 medium lime
- 1 cup coconut
Coconut-Lime Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3 8-ounce packages full-fat cream cheese softened (normally I’d say low-fat is fine, but in this case, it would be too runny)
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- juice of 1 medium lime
- 2 teaspoons coconut extract
Garnish
- sweetened coconut
- lime zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Disregard the instructions on the cake mix box. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, combine all the cake ingredients except for the coconut: cake mix, eggs, oil. sour cream, vanilla and coconut extracts, and lime zest. Mix on low for 30 seconds or until all the ingredients are roughly combined and then mix on high for 3 minutes. Add the coconut and mix until just combined.
- Evenly distribute the batter among the lined muffin tin. Bake for 16-22 minutes or until a pick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean and the tops are very lightly golden. Be SURE not to overbake these cupcakes because they will taste stale. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. Combine the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Whip until light and fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well-combined. Transfer to a piping bag and swirl the icing over the cooled cupcakes. Garnish with a sprinkling of coconut and a little lime zest. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. Makes 24 cupcakes.
Notes
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator (must be refrigerated for storage due to cream cheese frosting) and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Make sure you don’t overbake your cupcakes or they will be dry. Keep a close eye on them and check for doneness as soon as they look like they are getting close!
- If you’d like to toast your coconut before using as a garnish, spread coconut out on a baking sheet or oven-safe dish and bake for about 2-5 minutes, stirring every 30-60 seconds at 375°F until it reaches a nice golden brown. For more details see this How to Toast Coconut post.
Questions & Reviews
I just made these for my younger brother’s 23 b-day, except he’s not a huge fan of lime, so I switched it to orange. I used a little over a tablespoon of orange juice, and about a teaspoon of orange zest in the frosting. I filled them with a pineapple curd. Tropics in November! I honestly could have eaten the frosting with a spoon. Mine was just a little thinner than I would have liked, but since these need to stay in the fridge anyway, I made it the day before, kept the frosting in the fridge until I was ready, and frosted with it cold.
Very runny icing. I had to keep adding powdered sugar and it hardly made a difference. Now I have about 8 cups of coconut runny frosting…
I used these as inspiration yesterday. I used the coconut cake recipe from Cook’s Illustrated for the cup cakes and just added the zested lime to the batter. I used your frosting recipe though. Frosting was a little thin and I had to work fast as my kitchen was getting hot and frosting was getting thinner. I would have chilled it a little if I’d had time. Comments from the audience – ” These are a Keeper”, “You could sell these,” “Can I have the recipe?”, ” These are awesome!”, “The cake was moist!” Sounds like I will be making then again! Thanks
I made these yesterday for the office cupcake bake off & won! Thank you!!! They were awesome & I have enough frosting to make another batch of cupcakes – now to find the excuse….
These were so good!
My frosting turned out runny, too. I had to add quite a bit more powdered sugar to firm it up a bit. Could it be the amount of lime juice? My line had a lot of juice in it.
I didn’t taste the cupcakes since they were made for someone else but I did get to taste the frosting…which is AMAZING. I’m setting it aside as a separate recipe for other cakes. I made a simple strawberry cake last night to take to work and used a little leftover frosting (i put the coconut in the frosting so it may have increased the amount). Everyone said it was a great combination. I love the texture–almost like whipped cream it is so fluffy and light and yet so full of flavor. Great recipe.
has anyone actually made the frosting and had it not runny? mine was SO runny and i used the fatty creme cheese. it made a ton and i couldn’t really use it. BOO.
i love duncan hines too..at least i used too! have you noticed they decreased the cake mix by a couple of ounces. i think it is throwing off my recipes. just wondering if you have noticed any issues. if i remember right the white and devils food are 16 oz instead of 18.
Weird, we haven’t noticed!
Is it sweetened or unsweetened coconut in the batter?
We use shredded, sweetened coconut
Oh, and by the way, I did use the full-fat cream cheese.