Lemon Coconut Cupcakes

These cupcakes are a perfect balance of the sourness of lemon and the mild creamy sweetness of fresh coconut. Definitely a taste of summer!

My mom asked me to make some good cupcakes for the evening tea a few days ago. That day I had lack of energy and was not in the mood of baking anything really, but I started to prepare the butter very late on the day and had no idea what kind of cupcakes I was going to make. Giving the whole baking process a second thought, I cancelled to bake anything that day because I was pretty sure if I did, it would not be with joy and excitement. And baking anything without joy is not worth baking at all as the final product may be affected. So the cupcakes was postponed until the following day and I had a great idea for cupcake flavor.

Lemon and coconut. That was it. I was pretty much excited about this flavor combination and did a Google search, but in the jungle of all the recipes it was difficult to go for one particular recipe as some asked for coocnut milk and other for cream cheese. However, I was inspired and had an idea; using my regular cupcake recipe I was going to add finely grated fresh coconut and grated rind of lemon along with a little lemon juice. And these lovley cupcakes were going to be topped with some fresh coconut cream. I had some whipping cream in my refrigerator and that was about it. Then I thought why not try to make some coconut milk with some fresh coconuts and mix it in with whipped cream. It just could not be wrong.

The Lemon Coconut cupcakes turned out amazing. I was convinced about that when my finicky young sister surprisingly praised the cupcakes after stuffing her mouth with one of them (without the coconut cream). And she is not easy to please at all, so I was very glad that the cupcakes appealed to her as she said something like that; "Plain cupcakes are not really good, but these have nice flavor in them and that is making them good". And then she grabbed two more cupcakes and wanted to hide them for the day after. Even my younger brother enjoyed these cupcakes and came back for more. And my mom, she just loved the coconut cream on the top of the cupcake and told me how delicious it was along with the cupcake. Definitely a keeper.

Keep a few things in mind when baking these delicious Lemon Coconut Cupcakes with light and nice flavors perfect for summer weather. Use only fresh coconut in the cupcake and in the cream. There is no problem if the coconut is freezed as long as it is fresh. Dessicated coconut is not recommended at all because it is dry and flaky and will not give the same flavor and taste to the final product. When fresh coconut is grated or blended finely it turns into a moist mass unlike the dessicated coconut were the moisture have already been removed.

Makes about 12 cupcakes

I n g r e d i e n t s

100 g butter or margarine, at room temp
100 g sugar
2 eggs, large, at room temp
100 g self-raising flour or
90 g allpurpose flour + 1,25 tsp baking powder
0,6 tbsp water or lemon juice, freshly squeezed
50 g coconut, grated finely (preferably in a blender)
lemon rind of 1/2 lemon, grated

Prepare one cupcake tray / regular tray with 12 cupcake cases (preferably double cases)

1. Cream the butter or margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy
2. Beat in the eggs one at a time, following each with a spoonful of flour
3. Sift in the remaining flour and fold in, followed by the water or lemon juice
4. Stir in the grated coconut and grated lemon rind
5. Fill each cupcake case with a spoonful of batter, about 3/4 full


Bake in a moderately hot oven at 160 C / 320 F / Gas Mark 3 for about 10-12 minutes or light golden in color and firm to the touch

Turn onto a wire rack to cool

Coconut Cream

50 g coconut, fresh
0,25 dl milk
2 dl full cream

1. Peel and cut the coocnut in small sized cubes
2. Have the coconut cubes in a blender with a little milk
3. Blend well until the coocnut is mixed with the milk and have a thick consistency
4. Whip the cream until it forms peaks, add in the coocnut milk mixture and whip for a few more minutes
5. Have the cream in a piping bag with round tip and pipe onto the cupcakes by holding the tip on the cupcake and squeezing the cream without lifting the tip

Garnish with some dessicated or freshly grated coconut and lemon jelly slices!


Lemon Coconut Cupcakes..

with Coconut Cream

A taste of summer!