This Coconut Buttercream Frosting is perfect for frosting cakes and cupcakes.
I really love this recipe for cupcakes. You can spread the frosting on the cupcakes in a nice and simple swirl, and you’ll find that there will be plenty of frosting for doing this generously. This is especially important for people who love a lot of frosting on their cupcakes, which is pretty much everyone, right?
Here are some cupcake recipes that would be good frosted with this Coconut Buttercream Frosting:
- White Wedding Cake Cupcakes
- Devil’s Food Cupcakes
- Moist Vanilla Cupcakes
- Chocolate Wedding Cupcakes
- Easy Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
What is the difference between Coconut Cream and Coconut Milk?
Coconut Cream and Coconut Milk are made from the same ingredients (coconut, water, and sometimes guar gum for stabilizing), but coconut cream has a higher fat content than coconut milk (less water, more coconut), therefore it’s thicker.
It’s probably not a good idea to substitute Coconut Milk for the Coconut Cream in this recipe since that thickness is desired for the consistency of the frosting.
At your market, look for Coconut Cream sold in a can. Canned coconut cream can be found in the “Exotic” or “Ethnic” food aisle, usually located near the Thailand food products. Look for your international foods aisle, and you’ll find it there!
The recipe here makes 3 cups of frosting, which is enough to frost 12 cupcakes pretty generously. If you want to frost a two-layer cake, I’d make a recipe and a half to make sure you have a generous amount to work with. If you’d like to add toasted coconut flakes for garnish, that would be an excellent idea. Plus, toasted coconut is quite delicious.
How do you toast coconut flakes?
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Spread coconut flakes on a baking sheet in a thin layer and bake FOR 5 TO 10 minutes. The flakes will toast very quickly, so keep an eye on them- stir every couple of minutes to help ensure even toasting.
Bake some cupcakes with this Coconut Buttercream Frosting for the coconut lover in your life. And keep them refrigerated until ready to eat!
If you’re looking for recipes to use up some of your leftover coconut cream, try making my Coconut Cake with Raspberry Buttercream Filling or my Strawberry- Coconut Cheesecake.
Coconut Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
- 3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 16 ounces powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup canned cream of coconut
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- toasted coconut for garnish, optional (see Recipe Notes below)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Increase the speed to medium, and slowly add the cream of coconut and vanilla, beating until smooth.
- Spread onto cupcakes or cake. You can try to use a piping bag, but it's a pretty soft frosting so it may or may not pipe very well. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Notes
- HOW TO MAKE TOASTED COCONUT:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spread coconut flakes on a baking sheet in a thin layer and bake FOR 5 TO 10 minutes. The flakes will toast very quickly, so keep an eye on them- stir every couple of minutes to help ensure even toasting.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you sift the powdered sugar?
Always a good idea to get the lumps out!
What size is the can of coconut cream? Sizes may vary around the world, or even 5 years from now so saying 1/4 of a can isn’t very helpful.
You need 1/4 cup… not 1/4 of a can. So the size of the can doesn’t matter.
I love that this recipe uses coconut cream and not coconut extract!