Coconut Lime Cupcakes: The Tropical Treat That’ll Transport You to Paradise

Coconut Lime Cupcakes are the tropical treat that’ll instantly transport you to paradise. With their refreshing citrus zing and creamy coconut frosting, each bite tastes like sunshine and sea breeze. They’re perfect for summer gatherings, backyard brunches, or whenever you need a mini escape from everyday life. To make sure your cupcakes look as good as they taste, try using a set of decorative cupcake liners — they instantly add that bakery-worthy finishing touch.

Key Info

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Servings: 12-14 cupcakes
Difficulty level: Intermediate
Dietary tags: Vegetarian (contains dairy, eggs, gluten, coconut)

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Why Your Cupcakes Keep Failing (And How These Won’t)

Ever baked cupcakes that turned out dense as hockey pucks? Or dry enough to choke on?

The problem isn’t you—it’s those vague recipes that tell you to “mix until combined” without explaining what that actually looks like.

These coconut lime cupcakes work because we’re baking at 325°F instead of 350°F. That lower temperature prevents the edges from overcooking while the centers catch up. It’s the difference between moist perfection and sad, dry disappointment.

The lime cuts through the sweetness like a knife. The coconut adds moisture and texture. The cream cheese frosting? That’s the bit that makes people ask for seconds.

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Equipment Needed

You don’t need a professional kitchen for this.

Essential Tools:

• Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• Muffin pan (standard 12-cup)
• Paper cupcake liners
• Two mixing bowls (one large, one medium)
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Whisk or fork
• Rubber spatula
• Toothpick
• Cooling rack
• Piping bag with tip (optional, but makes frosting easier)

Simple Alternatives:

• No stand mixer? Hand mixer works perfectly
• Skip the piping bag and spread frosting with a butter knife
• Ice cream scoop (1/4 cup size) gives you uniform cupcakes, but a measuring cup works too

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Ingredients

Listed exactly as you’ll use them—no scrolling back and forth.

For the Cupcakes:

Wet ingredients first:

• 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature (that’s 1 1/2 sticks)
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest (about 2 limes)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Dry ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Final additions:

• 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cups (120g) sweetened coconut flakes, loosely packed

Substitutions that actually work:

• Regular Persian limes instead of Key limes (they’re fine, honestly)
• Plain Greek yogurt thinned with a splash of milk can replace buttermilk
• Unsweetened coconut works if you reduce sugar to 3/4 cup

For the Lime Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 8 tablespoons (115g) unsalted butter, softened (that’s 1 stick)
• 8 ounces (225g) cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 4 cups (480g) confectioners’ sugar (maybe more if needed)

Garnish:

• Extra lime zest
• Toasted coconut flakes (toast them in a dry pan for 3 minutes, watching constantly)

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Method

Prep Work (Don’t Skip This):

Before you start mixing anything, do this:

1. Take your butter, eggs, and cream cheese out of the fridge at least 1 hour before baking—room temperature ingredients mix better and create lighter cupcakes
2. Preheat your oven to 325°F (not 350°F—this is important)
3. Line your muffin pan with paper liners
4. Zest your limes BEFORE you juice them (trust me on this)

Making the Cupcakes:

Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar in your mixer bowl on high speed for 5 full minutes. Set a timer. Don’t cheat. Your mixture should look pale, fluffy, and almost doubled in volume. This is what creates tender cupcakes.

Step 2: Turn mixer to low speed and add eggs one at a time. After each egg, scrape down the sides of the bowl with your spatula. This ensures everything mixes evenly.

Step 3: Add vanilla extract, lime zest, and lime juice. Mix until combined. Your batter might look slightly curdled—that’s normal when citrus meets butter.

Step 4: In your second bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sifting prevents lumps and aerates the flour.

Step 5: Now comes the technique that separates amateurs from pros—the alternating method. Add ingredients in this pattern:

• 1/3 of the dry mixture → mix on low until barely combined
• 1/2 of the buttermilk → mix until barely combined
• 1/3 of the dry mixture → mix until barely combined
• Remaining buttermilk → mix until barely combined
• Final 1/3 of dry mixture → mix until JUST combined

Stop mixing the second you don’t see flour streaks. Overmixing = dense cupcakes.

Step 6: Using a spatula, gently FOLD in the coconut flakes. Don’t stir. Don’t beat. Fold. Scrape from the bottom, lift, and turn over. Repeat about 15 times.

Step 7: Fill each cupcake liner almost to the top using a 1/4 cup measuring scoop. This gives you 12 perfectly sized cupcakes, or 14 slightly smaller ones.

Step 8: Bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops just begin to turn golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Watch for these visual cues:

• Tops should be barely colored, not deeply golden
• Edges pull away slightly from the liner
• Top springs back when lightly touched

Step 9: Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Wait until completely cool before frosting—minimum 30 minutes. Warm cupcakes = melted frosting disaster.

Making the Cream Cheese Frosting:

Step 1: Beat softened butter and cream cheese together until smooth and fluffy (about 2 minutes on medium-high speed). Both must be room temperature or you’ll get