Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes are made with fresh pineapple and shredded coconut, and topped with a sweetened coconut whip. They’re also dairy-free and vegan, and make a fun dessert for summer parties!
It’s Cupcake Lover’s Day! Did you even know there was such a thing? To be honest, I had no idea there were so many different food holidays until I started food blogging. And there seems to be a day for everything. If you ever have a moment, it’s fun to look through some of the food holidays. Maybe you’ll find one you want to celebrate!
Speaking of celebrating, I hope you want to celebrate cupcakes today because I’ve joined with a bunch of cupcake loving food bloggers to bring you an awesome collection of cupcakes!
This fun collaboration was organized by Valentina at the The Baking Fairy, and links to all the cupcake recipes being shared today are included at the end of this post. Be sure to check them out, and look for the hashtag #CupcakeLoversDay on social for other fun photos and recipes.
What you’ll need to make these Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes:
- All-purpose flour
- Cane sugar
- Shredded coconut
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Fresh pineapple
- Almond milk
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Vanilla extract
- Full fat coconut milk
- Powdered sugar
How do you make these pineapple coconut cupcakes?
To start, make sure you have your cans of coconut milk refrigerated. The only way to make the coconut whip is to solidify the milk fat so it whips up into a frosting. I like to refrigerate mine for at least 24 hours, and if I’m in doubt, I place them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes (be careful though, because you don’t want them to freeze).
To make the cupcakes, whisk together your dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Add the fresh pineapple to a blender and pulse a few times until it resembles a purée. Add the pineapple to a small bowl, along with the milk, oil and vanilla. Whisk together and then add to the dry ingredients, stirring until combined.
Divide the batter into a prepared cupcake pan and bake for 15-17 minutes on 350F.
Once the cupcakes are cooled, prepare the coconut whip. This is pretty simple. Just scoop out the solidified coconut milk into a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on high until the milk is fully whipped and creamy. You can also add in a few tablespoons of powdered sugar to sweeten the whip, or you can go unsweetened. Totally up to you.
Frost the cupcakes and place in the fridge to set up. Serve and enjoy!
How should you store these vegan pineapple cupcakes?
As these cupcakes are topped with coconut milk whipped cream, they should be refrigerated. The coconut whip will also get soft at room temperature, particularly if it is a warm day, so these cupcakes are best enjoyed when they are chilled.
How long will these cupcakes last? Can I freeze cupcakes with coconut whip frosting?
I would enjoy these cupcakes within 3-4 days. After that, the coconut whip will start to break down a bit.
I’ve never tried freezing cupcakes with coconut whip topping, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I’m not sure how the coconut whip would behave when frozen, and it may not defrost well.
If you want to make these cupcakes ahead and freeze them, do so without the coconut whip. When ready to enjoy them, just remove from the freezer, defrost and then add the whipped topping.
Some tips for making these pineapple coconut cupcakes:
- I’ve only made these cupcakes using fresh pineapple. But if you can’t find fresh, you can use a can of pineapple chunks, and just drain and purée as the recipe calls for.
- If you don’t have cane sugar, you can use granulated sugar.
- I always use unsweetened coconut, but sweetened works too. Your cupcakes will just be sweeter. You can also use medium desiccated or flaked coconut. I use shredded as I like the texture it adds to the cupcakes.
- I like to pipe my frosting on, but if you think the coconut whip is too soft to do this, you can just spread it on, or place the whip in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to set up.
If you make these Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes, I would love to hear about it in the comments below.
And if you’re looking for more cupcake recipes, here are a few others on Crumb Top Baking:
Don’t forget to check out the other recipes for Cupcake Lover’s Day below!
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Don’t forget to sign up for the Crumb Top Baking Newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook!
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Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes (Vegan)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan
Description
Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes are made with fresh pineapple and shredded coconut, and topped with a sweetened coconut whip. They’re also dairy-free and vegan, and make a fun dessert for summer parties!
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cans (400 ml) full fat coconut milk, refrigerated for at least 24 hours
- 3–4 tablespoons organic powdered sugar (optional)
- 1/4 cup toasted coconut for topping (optional)
Instructions
Make the cupcakes:
- Pre-heat oven to 350F and grease a 12-cup muffin pan (or use cupcake liners).
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, coconut, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Add the fresh pineapple to a blender and pulse a few times until it is puréed. Add the pineapple to a small bowl, along with the milk, oil and vanilla. Whisk together and then add to the dry ingredients, stirring until combined.
- Divide the batter into the prepared cupcake pan. Each cup should be about two-thirds full. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frost the cupcakes:
- Scoop out the solidified coconut milk (discard or reserve the coconut water for another use) and add to a deep mixing bowl.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the coconut milk on high until it is fully whipped and creamy. This may take a few minutes. For a sweetened coconut whip, add in 3-4 tablespoons of powdered sugar and beat until incorporated
- Add the coconut whip to a piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes, or spread on with a knife. Top with toasted coconut, or other desired toppings.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 3-4 days.
Notes
- If you can’t find fresh pineapple, you can use canned pineapple chunks. Just drain the juice and purée as the recipe calls for.
- You can substitute granulated sugar for cane sugar.
- This recipe calls for unsweetened shredded coconut. You can use sweetened coconut, but the cupcakes will be sweeter. You can also use medium desiccated or flaked coconut, it just may change the texture slightly.
- If the coconut whip is too soft to pipe onto the cupcakes, just place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to set up.
- The powdered sugar in the coconut whip is completely optional. It doesn’t really impact the texture of the whip, it just sweetens it.
Cupcakes for Cupcake Lover’s Day!
Vegan Birthday Cake Oreo Cupcakes by The Baking Fairy
Avocado Cupcakes with Lime Frosting by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Brown Cow Cupcakes by Palatable Pastime
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cupcakes by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Busy Bee Honey Vanilla Cupcakes by For The Love of Food
Butter Pecan Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting by A Little Fish in the Kitchen
Cheesecake Cupcakes by Walking on Sunshine Recipes
Cherry Limeade Cupcakes by That Recipe
Cherry Vanilla Cupcakes by The Freshman Cook
Chocolate Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Frosting by Cooking for my Soul
Chocolate Irish Cream Cupcakes with Irish Cream Frosting by Daily Dish Recipes
Cookies & Cream Cupcakes by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Creamsicle Cupcakes by Red Cottage Chronicles
Gluten Free Rocky Road Cupcakes by Frugal & Fit
Honey Lemon’s HoneyBee Cupcakes by Simply Inspired Meals
Lemon Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting by The Olive Blogger
Lemon Lavender Blackberry Cupcakes by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Lost Princess Cupcakes by Seduction in the Kitchen
Orange You Glad Cupcakes by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes by The Beard and The Baker
Pink Lemonade Cupcakes by Bowl Me Over
Pudding Pop Cupcakes by Nik Snacks
Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting by Join Us, Pull Up a Chair
Strawberry Basil Cupcakes with Chocolate Balsamic Frosting by The Spiffy Cookie
Strawberry Cupcakes by Confessions of a Baking Queen
Strawberry Jello Cupcakes by Kelly Lynn’s Sweets and Treats
Sweet Summertime Cupcakes by Cooking with Carlee
Vanilla Bourbon Bacon Cupcakes by Our Good Life
Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes by Simple Family Crazy Life
Watermelon Themed Cake & Cupcakes by The Mandatory Mooch
White Chocolate Truffle Cupcakes by Triple Chocolate Kitchen
Can this recipe be made into a cake rather than cupcakes?
Hi Regina. Sorry, I haven’t tried turning this recipe into a cake, but if you wanted to give it a try, here’s my suggestion: you could double the recipe and make a layer cake with two 8-inch round cake pans (make sure to grease and flour them). Bake the cake layers on the same temperature as you would the cupcakes, just increase the bake time by about five minutes. The cakes are done when a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If you give it a try, please let me know how it goes.
do you have metric conversion of weight for ingredients please
Hi Sharon. I’m sorry, I don’t have the metric conversion for these ingredients.
What a great vegan cupcake, I love this combination of flavours. So beautiful too, thanks!
Thanks Sabrina! I’m having a moment with tropical flavours!
Simply Spectacular! Love these flavors!
Thanks Teri!
Leanne, this look so amazing! Pineapple and coconut are so wonderful together. These would disappear in seconds in my house!
Thanks Kelly! They didn’t last long in my house either!
I wish I could celebrate cupcake day every day. These look gorgeous. I love that you’ve used fresh pineapple. Such a gorgeous sweet and tangy flavour.
Thanks very much Marie! And totally agree. We should be celebrating cupcakes every day!
These cupcakes look fabulous! I love the coconut and pineapple combination. Whipped coconut for frosting is such a fantastic idea!
Thanks Tasia! Pineapple and coconut really are great together. And the coconut milk frosting is my go-to for most cupcake recipes!
Pina Colada is my favorite! Love the idea of this cupcake flavor!
Thanks Samantha! It’s a great flavour!
Tropically delicious Leanne! These are just perfect for summer!
Thanks Mary Ann!
My family would love these! Perfect summer treat!
Thanks Nichi!
These look so tropical and delicious. Also I’m proposing that every day is cupcake lovers day. Just putting it out there.
Haha! I like the way you think Jo! I am totally on board with that!
Pineapple and coconut work so well together. It reminds me of a tropical vacation!
I totally agree! The flavours always remind me of the beach!