Despite Bounty, and coconut in general, being a rather devisive ingredient, I had so much love and positivity when I shared my Bounty Chocolate & Coconut Loaf Cake! I've adapted the recipe into these delicious Bounty Chocolate & Coconut Cupcakes, so all of you fabulous coconut lovers can enjoy these yummy treats in a different form. These cupcakes are made up of moist chocolate cake studded with delicious coconut. They're topped with a coconut buttercream, and a chunk of Bounty bar, plus some extra coconut for good measure!
Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- For the best flavour, make sure to use a good quality coconut extract for the buttercream, I recommend avoiding using an essence. You can also use vanilla extract if you can't get hold of a coconut one.
- I used a baking spread for the cupcakes and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Bounty Chocolate & Coconut Cupcakes
To make the cupcakes, whisk the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Then add the eggs and milk and whisk in well.
Gently mix in the self raising flour, cocoa powder and desiccated coconut. Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a thin skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. To decorate mix the softened butter with the icing sugar, coconut extract and milk until smooth. Pipe it onto the cupcakes and add a chunk of Bounty and a sprinkle of desiccated coconut.
How long do the cupcakes last for and can they be frozen?
The cupcakes will last for 2-3 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can freeze both the cupcakes and the buttercream. To freeze them separately, wrap the cupcakes well in cling film or put them in an airtight container. The buttercream can be frozen in a sealed tub. To freeze them decorated, freeze the cupcakes on a plate until frozen solid, then carefully wrap in cling film. Remove the clingfilm when you take the cupcakes out of the freezer to defrost, as if they defrost with it still on it could damage the buttercream.
Can you make the cupcakes with plain/all purpose flour?
Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add 1 + ½ teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.
Can the cupcakes be made gluten or dairy free?
Yes! For gluten free you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 1 + ½ teaspoons baking powder. You may also like to add ¼ tsp Xanthan Gum for better texture. For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread for the cupcakes and the buttercream.
Do you need an electric mixer to make this recipe?
While you can absolutely make this recipe with a wooden spoon and some elbow grease, I do recommend using an electric mixer for the best results. The cupcakes will be lighter and fluffier when made with an electric mixer. The buttercream will also be smoother. You don't have to use an expensive stand mixer either, you can get electric hand whisks for as little as £10!
More tips for making the Bounty Chocolate & Coconut Cupcakes:
- You can spread the buttercream onto the cupcakes with a spoon if you don’t want to pipe it.
- If you can't get hold of coconut extract for the buttercream, you can use 1-2 tsp of vanilla extract instead.
- I used two Bounty bars for this recipe, each one cut into 6 chunks.
Troubleshooting
If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!
Recommended equipment & ingredients*
- Mixing bowls
- Cupcake tin
- Cooling rack
- Kitchen scales
- Electric hand mixer
- Piping bags
- Wilton 2D Piping nozzle
- Coconut flavouring extract
- Pastel blue cupcake cases
*I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!
More coconut recipes...
Bounty Chocolate & Coconut Cupcakes
Ingredients
For te cupcakes
- 175 g Butter or baking spread softened, unsalted
- 175 g Caster sugar
- 3 Eggs large
- 1 tbsp Milk
- 150 g Self raising flour
- 25 g Cocoa powder
- 40 g Desiccated coconut
For the buttercream
- 200 g Butter softened, unsalted
- 400 g Icing sugar
- 2 tbsp Milk
- 3-4 drops Coconut extract I used Foodie Flavours
For decoration
- 2 Bounty bars chopped into chunks
- 1 tbsp Desiccated coconut
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4, and line a cupcake tin with cupcake cases
- For the cupcake sponge, mix together the butter and caster sugar, ideally using an electric mixer, until smooth and fluffy
- Add the eggs and milk and whisk them in well
- Then gently whisk in the self raising flour, desiccated coconut and cocoa powder
- Divide the mixture between the cupcakes cases, and bake them for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cupcakes comes out clean. Put them on a rack to cool completely
- Make the buttercream by mixing together the softened butter, cocoa powder and icing sugar, then add the coconut extract and milk, and mix until smooth. You can do this by hand, but an electric whisk or stand mixer with paddle attachment will provide the best results. If the buttercream is too stiff, you can add a little more milk
- Spread or pipe the buttercream on top of the cupcakes
- Decorate with the Bounty bars and desiccated coconut
- Store in an airtight container in a cool place and eat within 3 days
Notes
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- For the best flavour, make sure to use a good quality coconut extract for the buttercream, I recommend avoiding using an essence. You can also use vanilla extract if you can't get hold of a coconut one.
- I used a baking spread for the cupcakes and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
Helen l
These went down a storm in our house. Like all baking explorer recipes super easy to follow recipe and quick to make. Delicious!
thebakingexplorer
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback Helen!
Mary
I would like to try several of your recipes, especially the salted caramel cupcakes. However, I hesitate because of the cup to gram conversion for flour. It was a bit tricky since most of the recipes I checked listed cups + spoonfuls, but I'm quite proficient in maths so I checked several recipes. by my calculation, you are equating 1 cup of plain flour to 160g. This is quite a hefty weight. Most packaged flour calls 1 cup 120g or sometimes 125g. Still, I have encountered some recipes which go as high as 140g which is uncommon enough. But 160g is just too much for me to trust. Please review the conversion tables and let me know whether I am worried about nothing.
thebakingexplorer
Hi Mary, I understand your hesistation in using cups, it is my opinion (and that of many professional bakers) that cups are not an accurate way to measure ingredients. The way you put flour into a cup can change the weight of the flour significantly. For example, putting the flour into the cup with a spoon, using the cup to scoop the flour directly out of the bag, or packing the flour down to remove the air. Although I provide cup conversions, I highly recommend using digital scales to weigh your ingredients for the most accurate results. I use an online calculator for my cup amounts, but I've just gone into my kitchen and weighed a cup of flour and got 145g - so still significantly more than 120g. I that helps and please do let me know if you try my recipes! 🙂