Amazing easy vegan lemon coconut cupcakes recipe with lemon / coconut buttercream frosting. Perfect for gift-giving, potlucks or to enjoy with tea or coffee.
Last Saturday, I met with a friend for a little hike trip to Howth which is a small fishing village north of Dublin. Although I’m not keen on the fishing aspect, it is a nice place to visit nevertheless. We took a nice hike around the hills and cliffs.
At the end of the day, we came back to the village for a nice meal at Ivans restaurant. Of course, being located in a fishing village, Ivans is just an oyster bar and grill; it’s not a vegan restaurant but the chef did do a tasty vegan linguini with veggies for me.
In fact, we also met because it was going to be my friend’s birthday on the coming Tuesday and as I wasn’t going to meet her during the week. So, I made her some cupcakes and a handmade jewellery gift which she got in advance!
I was so pleased to be able to find a nice cupcake holder box in a shop close to my place. It was my first time packing cupcakes for a gift and I was pretty excited!
The handmade jewellery I made for her. She really loved them!
See more photos of our day trip on this post.
So, the cupcakes? They turned out great! I made them in two flavours, coconut and lemon.
Here’s the recipe below. For the frosting, the quantities below are for 12 cupcakes of each flavour. If you want to make 6 of each, then used the quantity for 1 batch of icing, split in half just before adding the coconut milk or lemon juice. Then add half the amount of the coconut milk to half and lemon juice to the other half of the sugar and margarine mixture.
Vegan Lemon Coconut Cupcakes with Vegan Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Ingredients (12 cupcakes or one 23-cm / 9-inch round)
1 1/2 cups [200 g] all purpose (or plain) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup [165 g] granulated sugar (I used demerara)
1/3 cup [75 g] vegan margarine (I used Pure Sunflower Spread)
1/4 cup [20 g] coconut flakes
1 cup [240 ml] coconut milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (white vinegar is also fine)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
(Variation for lemon cupcake: 1 teaspoon lemon zest if making lemon cupcakes)
To make cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit.
In a larger mixing bowl, cream together margarine and granulated sugar with an electric mixer.
Next, mix in coconut milk, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. I find mixing with a spatula quite handy for this.
Bake for 20 – 25 minutes for cupcakes (or 25 – 30 minutes for cakes).
Vegan Coconut Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
1/2 cup [110 g] vegan margarine
1 3/4 cup [225 g] icing sugar
1 tablespoon coconut milk
1 cup [80 g] coconut flakes
To make Coconut Buttercream Frosting:
Using an electric mixer, lightly beat margarine.
Add in powdered sugar a little at a time while continuing to beat.
When well mixed, add in coconut milk and beat a little more until smooth.
Use the prepared mixture and frost the cooled cupcakes or cake. Make sure cupcakes are not warm but well cooled.
Lightly press coconut flakes onto the frosting. The easiest way to do this is to gently dip and roll the frosted cupcake in a bowl of coconut flakes.
Variation with Lemon Frosting
Ingredients
1/2 cup [110 g] vegan margarine
1 3/4 cup [225 g] icing sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
To make Lemon Buttercream Frosting:
Directions are same as for the coconut buttercream. To apply the frosting, I used an icing bag made with parchment paper and a star nozzle. Just apply from the centre and spiral out.
Lemon Coconut Cupcakes with Vegan Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 200 g all-purpose flour, or plain flour [1 1/2 cups]
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 165 g granulated sugar, I used demerara, [3/4 cup]
- 75 g vegan margarine, I used Pure Sunflower Spread [1/3 cup]
- 20 g coconut flakes, [1/4 cup]
- 240 ml coconut milk, [1 cup]
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, white vinegar is also fine
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
Variation for Lemon Cupcake
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, if making lemon cupcakes
Vegan Coconut Buttercream Frosting
- 110 g vegan margarine, [1/2 cup]
- 225 g icing sugar, [1 3/4 cup]
- 1 tablespoon coconut milk
- 80 g coconut flakes, [1 cup]
Variation with Lemon Frosting
- 110 g vegan margarine, [1/2 cup]
- 225 g icing sugar, [1 3/4 cup]
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Make the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- In a larger mixing bowl, cream together margarine and granulated sugar with an electric mixer.
- Next, mix in coconut milk, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. I find mixing with a spatula quite handy for this.
- Bake for 20 – 25 minutes for cupcakes (or 25 – 30 minutes for cakes).
Vegan Coconut Buttercream Frosting:
- Using an electric mixer, lightly beat margarine.
- Add in powdered sugar a little at a time while continuing to beat.
- When well mixed, add in coconut milk and beat a little more until smooth.
- Use the prepared mixture and frost the cooled cupcakes or cake. Make sure cupcakes are not warm but well cooled.
- Lightly press coconut flakes onto the frosting. The easiest way to do this is to gently dip and roll the frosted cupcake in a bowl of coconut flakes.
Variation with Lemon Frosting:
- Directions are same as for the coconut buttercream. To apply the frosting, I used an icing bag made with parchment paper and a star nozzle. Just apply from the centre and spiral out.
It’s hard to believe the cupcakes are homemade because the box is so bakery-store-like! I am glad your friend liked her “day”! Your jewelry looks well made too, I will check out your bijouxlovlie. You must be french… Oui?
I’m Mauritian but I speak French. Oui! 🙂 French, in Mauritius, is used almost as a first language…
And yes the box, I love it! I got a pack of 2 that came flat and just pops up to assemble. 🙂 I was so pleased to find such a box in the store close to my apartment.
Such pretty pictures and the recipe sounds delicious! I absolutely love the box for the cupcakes – my birthday was just around the same time and I had a similar cake. ^^ Glad to see you posting some more!
Great recipe ! I just made it! It`s delicious!!! Thanks for sharing!
those cupcakes look mighty good…lovely.
Wow, what a lucky friend! I’ve never seen one of those cupcake boxes. I’m going to have definitely keep my out for them. I also like how you put them in an extra cupcake liner – makes it look festive. And, what pretty jewelry! Good job.
Do you use the coconut flakes and milk if you are making the lemon cupcakes?
I’m a new vegan and found your sight in a book. Good job.
Yes in this recipe, I did use the same batter to make both the coconut and lemon cupcakes, I only altered the frosting. But if you wanted, you could omit the coconut flakes and use soymilk instead for the lemon cupcakes. Although I think I like the texture that coconut milk gives to cakes better…
I hope this helps. 🙂
Vegan Lovlie…it was listed in the ingredients. Its called Simply Organic Sloppy Joe Mix. Its vegan and it is also great to add to your soups & casseroles for more flavor.