A spoon drizzling caramel on top of a coconut-topped cupcake.

These chocolate coconut cupcakes are a delicious application of the winner of my chocolate cake bake off. I couldn’t not share this variation after this glowing review I received after I brought them to a birthday party:

A text exchange with someone asking when Erika will make the chocolate coconut cupcakes again.

Though not a flavor I would have thought to make on my own, the birthday girl requested chocolate coconut! And so here’s how this creation came about:

I was fairly certain that Ina’s winning chocolate cake would work as cupcakes, so the cake part was covered.
Most recipes for coconut frosting call for coconut extract or a few tablespoons of coconut milk. Instead of going to the store for coconut goods, I used a simple vanilla buttercream rolled in toasted coconut. A drizzle of salted caramel on top accentuates the coconut perfectly!

The resulting cupcakes are just subtly coconutty. I will admit that you could break a tooth on how sweet these are, but MY GOD ARE THEY GOOD.

A few coconut-topped cupcakes with a caramel drizzle on a gray background.

Chocolate Coconut Cupcake Recipe, At a Glance

a half batch of Ina Garten’s winning chocolate cake (which makes a perfect dozen cupcakes)
a quarter batch of Sally’s Baking Addiction’s vanilla buttercream (the perfect amount to scantily frost a dozen cupcakes)
a half batch of Live Well Bake Often’s salted caramel (you will end up with extra. If you want to risk attempting quarter batch, you can!)
some dessicated coconut, toasted! Unsweetened is what I use, but you can probably use sweetened shredded coconut if that’s all you can find.

A chocolate cupcake frosted with white frosting.

A chocolate cupcake frosted with vanilla frosting being rolled in toasted coconut shreds.

A close up of chocolate cupcakes topped with toasted coconut and topped with caramel.

I frost these using the Sprinkles method so that you have a flat surface to dip into the coconut. The caramel is very sweet, so I purposefully use a thin layer of frosting to not overdo the sweetness.

Have caution when rolling/dipping these in coconut as they can easily become top heavy and topple over. And there you have it–very easy chocolate coconut cupcakes, perfect for any celebration!

Half a chocolate cupcake topped with vanilla frosting, coconut and caramel.

Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes

Erika Kwee

A deeply chocolatey cupcake frosted with a creamy vanilla buttercream, rolled in toasted coconut and drizzled in salty caramel!

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Total Time 1 30

Course Dessert

Servings cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp cocoa powder (Dutch-process or natural)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 extra-large (or large) egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup hot coffee

Salted Caramel

2 tbsp water
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
1.5 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Vanilla Buttercream

6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1.5 cups sifted powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
3/4 tsp vanilla extra
pinch salt

Toasted coconut

1/2 cup desiccated coconut (or unsweetened shredded coconut if that's all you can find)

Instructions

Make the cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake tin with 12 liners.
Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and whisk until blended.
In another bowl (I usually use a liquid measuring cup), combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just mixed. Then stream in the hot coffee and whisk again until everything is combined and smooth (but don't overmix, which will make the cake tough!).
Divide batter evenly between 12 cupcake cavities (you'll fill them almost to the top). Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean or the tops spring back when poked. Cool for a few minutes in the pan, then turn out to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the caramel

Combine water and sugar in a small or medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved. Then increase heat to high and bring to a boil (do not stir at this point). Then let mixture boil until it turns amber–this took about 10 minutes for me, but Danielle says it could take anywhere from 4-12 minutes.
Remove from heat and slowly stream in the heavy cream while whisking. Then whisk in the butter, vanilla and salt. Let caramel cool completely before using! You can make this ahead of time and store in the fridge overnight before using on cupcakes. Mine was still very runny the next day, but if yours thickens after being refrigerated, you can microwave it to loosen it up.

Make the buttercream

Using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, whip the butter until creamy (about 1 minute). PS. If you forgot to bring your butter to room temperature, you can microwave it for 8-10 seconds to take the chill off!
Add the powdered sugar (ideally sifted for fewer lumps) and cream for 3-4 minutes to get a super fluffy texture. Add your desired amount of heavy cream to get the buttercream to your desired consistency, vanilla and salt, and cream again for another 1-2 minutes until fully incorporated.

Assemble the cupcakes

First, toast your coconut! Add the dry coconut to a frying pan over medium heat and toast until golden, stirring occasionally (it's okay if it's unevenly browned). Let cool completely before using.
Using an offset spatula, use a few tablespoons of frosting per cupcake to frost each cupcake with a smooth top and flat, angled sides (see videos above for inspiration). Then roll the cupcake in the toasted coconut and drizzle with salted caramel and enjoy!