These gluten free coconut lime cupcakes are an absolute delight – made with THE fluffiest coconut + lime cupcake cake (complete with fresh lime zest, juice, and toasted coconut), and dreamy coconut + lime buttercream (with all of the above plus of course butter, salt – to bring out the sweetness and round out the flavor, and icing sugar). This is the first recipe I’ve gotten to think through, draft, bake, decorate, film, AND shoot (food photography wise) in over 10 months, and it feels really nice to get back to things that allow me to be creative, in charge of every design and flavor decision, and use our new space! Scott and I have recently moved into our own place just south of Oxford, and it’s been a whirlwind of boxes, unpacking, building new furniture, a very unexpected and wild gym accident/medical emergency (think two trips to the ER, multiple to doctors, and one to plastic surgery), some solid healing time and extra care taken, and now, finally, some settling, finding our feet and feeling at home in our new home. Part of that is baking! And finally having all of my ingredients, pans (way too many of them), stand mixer, photography equipment, food styling props, and other tools all in one place!
Tips for the best coconut lime cupcakes!
- Follow the instructions…all of them. They’re there for a reason! Especially ones like “make sure no bit of yolk gets into the egg whites” or “beat the butter for 5-10 minutes” – these things make a difference!
- Find your favorite extracts. I’ve had a few favorites for years but just actually smelled the difference today – a regular unbranded coconut extract (very cheap) vs a brand I’ve loved because they taste and smell REALLY good. Like real coconut. So here’s an invitation to experiment with ones you can find either online or in your local shops!
- Don’t overbake your cupcakes! They should not be golden brown or golden at all – they should pretty much be white. And overbaking not only changes them visibly, but makes them dry and stiff.
- Taste the buttercream as you go! Buttercream is such a fun thing to make because you control the flavor entirely – as long as you’re adding a bit of flavoring/add-ins at a time, keep going until you’ve got the flavor you love. I’ve added my recommended amounts, and just don’t go adding too much lime juice as there will be a point when the butter splits because of too much liquid, but a Tablespoon or 2 or 3 is fine!
For other coconut or lime or cupcake treats, try this coconut custard pie, classic coconut coated lamingtons, key lime tartlets, kiwi lime pie, funfetti cupcakes, or filled strawberry cupcakes!
Gluten Free Coconut Lime Cupcakes
Equipment
- 2 12-hole cupcake pans
- Electric mixer
- Rubber spatula
- Paper cupcake liners
- Piping bag and tip
- Frying pan
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 6 large egg whites (carefully separated from the yolks)
- 1 1/4 Cup white sugar 320g
- 1/2 Cup melted salted butter 113g
- 1/3 Cup vegetable/sunflower oil 80ml
- 1/2 Cup sour cream 140g
- 3/4 Cup full fat coconut milk 180ml
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 tsp coconut extract
- 2 1/2 tsp lime zest
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 1/2 Cup gluten free 1-1 flour mix 245g
- 1/2 Cup cornflour/cornstarch 68g
- 1/2 Cup sweet rice flour 70g
- 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (if your 1-1 mix already contains xanthan gum, leave this out)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Cup toasted desiccated coconut (instructions below) 85g
For the buttercream
- 2 Cups salted butter – room temperature 450g
- 4-5 Cups icing sugar 520-650g
- 1-2 Tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp coconut extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 1/2 Cup toasted desiccated coconut (instructions below)
Instructions
- First, toast the coconut! Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add coconut, stirring frequently until it just starts to toast/turn a caramel color. Then remove from heat immediately and put in a small bowl/plate and set aside.
- Then, make the cupcakes! Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit/180 Celcius. First, separate the egg whites carefully, making sure that no egg yolk gets into the whites. Beat the egg whites with an electric hand or stand mixer until stiff peaks form (this will take a few minutes) then tip into a separate bowl and set aside. Then in the same original empty bowl, beat the sugar, melted butter, and oil until slightly lighter. Add the sour cream, coconut milk, extracts, lime juice and zest, and beat until smooth. Add the 1-1 flour, cornflour, sweet rice flour, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, and 1 cup of the toasted coconut and beat until smooth (it will be fairly thick). Finally, fold in the egg whites in thirds until fully combined and smooth.
- Spoon batter (3/4 full) into the 24 paper-lined cupcake pan holes and then bake. I typically bake one tray at a time to avoid one pan baking slowly/faster than the other. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer/knife inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. I recommend using an oven thermometer to monitor the internal temp as this can vary widely from oven to oven and cause over/underbaking. Once cupcakes are done, remove and let cool completely before frosting.
- Make your buttercream while cupcakes are cooling. In a large bowl, beat (using an electric hand or stand mixer) the salted room temp butter by itself for 5-10 minutes (this will get you the right texture and will whiten your butter significantly). Then sift your icing/powdered sugar and add 1 cup at a time, beating slowly to combine and then on high to get a smooth texture. Continue to add powdered sugar until frosting is fairly stiff/holds its shape. Then add the lime juice, zest, coconut extract, toasted coconut and salt and beat to combine. Taste and add more lime juice/zest, coconut extract etc until you like the flavor. Ensure the texture overall holds its shape but isn't too stiff to pipe.
- Once cupcakes are cool, spoon buttercream into a piping bag fitted with your choice of piping tip (I recommend a larger one so the coconut doesn't get stuck), and pipe frosting onto the top of each cupcake. Optional: add a bit of extra zest and coconut on the top of each frosted cupcake!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your cupcakes!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
