I used this frosting to top the cupcakes in my Hanukkah Cupcake Menorah project. Making frosting from scratch is easier than you might think! If you carefully follow the instructions below, you will end up with a luscious frosting that tastes so much better than the stuff you buy at the store. Yum!
Recommended Products:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Coconut Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2-3 teaspoons coconut extract
- 1-2 tablespoons water
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Sift the powdered sugar and salt into a bowl.
- Cut the butter into cubes (make sure it's room temperature!) and add it to the sugar and salt.
- Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar together for 3-4 minutes till it creams together. At first, it will look crumbly and grainy. Continue mixing, using a spatula to push out any butter that gathers in the beaters, till the mixture is thick and creamy.
- Pour in 2 tsp of coconut extract and mix again. Taste the frosting and add more extract to taste, if desired.
- Add one teaspoon of water at a time, whipping constantly, till frosting reaches the thickness and texture you desire. You will likely need very little water to achieve the consistency you need.
- Use frosting for spreading or piping onto room temperature baked goods. This frosting tastes best at room temperature. Frosting will keep for up to five days without refrigeration; to extend shelf like, refrigeration is recommended.
Kim Smith says
Thank you, Tori! I was searching for a coconut icing recipe that didn’t require coconut water, coconut cream, cream of coconut, cream cheese (eye of newt, bat wings, SHEESH!)—I couldn’t believe how complicated most recipes were! I DID have coconut and coconut extract, so you saved me yet another trip to the store! The icing turned out GREAT and it is delicious! Since I was using my stand mixer, I even creamed my butter first and added the powdered sugar/salt mixture in 1/2 cup intervals (to avoid coating my entire work area in powdered sugar) and it still turned out great! Thank you for a wonderful and uncomplicated recipe!
Sue Gray says
I made Banana cake and didn’t want a sugary sweet icing. I wanted to add coconut extract and found this recipe. BEST EVER and super simple!!!
Will make this icing for ALL my deserts …I imagine you can add different flavourings.
Tori Avey says
Most definitely! Glad it was helpful.
Bridget says
This was amazing! I used it yesterday for a pineapple cake I created and it complimented it perfectly. No water needed and I used 2tsp extract. This is buttercream I could just lick off the spoon. My husband kept going back and stealing it from the bowl! 🙂 Thanks so much!
StayC says
First time making this of any sort of coconut. I made this for my moms birthday today ( 7/28/2018). She loves them but I toasted some coconut and sprinkled on top.
Pamela Laws says
Is this frosting stiff enough to pipe roses?
Tori Avey says
Yes it should be.
Mahina says
I really love the old fashioned style of this recipe. If you use the best ingredients (not margarine) this buttercream recipe will be a no-fail. I did find that I needed to add quite a bit more coconut extract to get the coconut taste, and I also added organic coconut shreds soaked in the extract as well. It turned out beautifully! Thank you so much for this great recipe. p.s. my arm got pretty tired using a hand mixer, so next time I’ll try it with my stand mixer.
Vanessa says
Omgah!!!! This recipe was so easy it was confusing haha. This is sooooo easy and soooooo good. Never using another recipe ever again xoxoo
lisa says
i love buttercream, its my favorite, what kind of butter did you use, i first made a batch w/butterlite, i didnt like it, so i got 1 stick of regular butter then realized i needed 2 so i used 1 stick regular butterlite and 1 stick of regular and it taste like im eating butter out of the tube, im not jumping through hoops over it, i was surprised that the recipe is powdered sugar and not regular sugar, any suggestions?
Tori Avey says
Lisa, I suggest using pure butter (organic if you can) rather than a butter/margarine mix. Pure butter will give you the best flavor results here. Powdered sugar is a must with this type of frosting, regular sugar will make it grainy.
Jhoveleen says
This looks a delicious frosting. I am thinking of adding grated coconut flakes on top of it. What do you think?
Tori Avey says
I think that would be great 🙂
Elissa says
I was wondering if you could add coconut shreds to the mixture. Would the reaction of the frosting stay smooth?
Olga says
I just made this butter cream frosting,and I love it easy creamy receipt .Thank you for your receipt
Elaine says
Looks great, I’m having a hard time finding the coconut chocolate chip recipe. Can you tell me where it is on your site?
Tori Avey says
Hi Elaine, it is not on the site at the moment. It’s an older recipe and I want to test it again it before reposting, it is on my “to do” list.
Sarah says
I love this recipe! I made it for my family before with a regular white cake batter for cupcakes, and they loved it. I made it again, but didn’t look ahead and I didn’t have enough Coconut Extract, so I did a little Coconut Extract and fresh lime juice, it was delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Tori Avey says
Ooooh, coconut lime sounds fabulous!
Lissah says
Hello! How many cupcakes were you able to frost with the 2 cups of frosting made? I’m trying to plan for wedding cupcakes
Tori Avey says
Hi Lissah, I’m sorry for the delayed response, this went to spam for some reason. It really depends on how you plan to frost the cupcakes, what kind of decorating tip you’ll use, etc. If you’re just smearing the frosting on top with a butter knife, 2 cups will frost about 1 dozen cupcakes. If you’re planning on using a decorating tip and piping the icing into a more decorative design, you will likely need a lot more.
Nick says
I used this incing on banana cupcakes with toasted coconut on top, SO GOOD! I recommend to anyone.
Anjelica says
Thank you for this amazing recipie!! I am making cupcakes and wanted a coconut icing instead of just vanilla. This was exactly what I was looking for!! Thanks again, for a wonderful recipie!
Eftychia says
Really delicious. I will definately give this frosting a try. I like coconut a lot!!
kristy says
Oh fabulous! I would have such a hard time not eating this straight out of the bowl. 😉
Tori Avey says
Kristy, I have to admit, it is tempting! 😉
Karen says
Hi,
Can I use margarine instead of butter to keep it parve?