Coconut Cream Pie Cupcakes

Coconut cream pie, for me, is one of those desserts that always elicit the most nostalgic childhood memories. As a young kid, it was always the dessert I gravitated towards before I discovered more gourmet options like crème brulee and bread pudding and became a bonafide dessert snob.

Now, as an adult those “other” options have sort of lost their luster and I find myself pining over a coconut cream pie more often than any other dessert. Unfortunately for me, the restaurant which served my go-to coconut cream pie as a kid, the only one I’d even consider inhaling, closed a little under ten years ago, so I’m not able to actually recreate the original scene of the crime and pretend I’m a kid again.

Fortunately for me, the pie lives on at local grocery stores around the Kansas City metro area, so while I can’t replicate the exact order of events and memories, I can still enjoy the exact same pie in the comfort of my home.

I’ve toyed around with completely different versions of the tried and true coconut cream pie, because trying to replicate the recipe myself would just land me in severe disappointment. I’ll never be able to duplicate the perfectly flaky, buttery crust, or tint the garnish of coconut a perfectly pink hue, and I’ll never ever be able to imitate the most light as air, sweet whipped cream topping.

Coconut Cream Pie Cupcakes

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 23 minutes
Inactive Time: 3 hours 18 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 43 minutes

Ingredients

Coconut Custard Filling:

•     1/3 cup granulated sugar
•     2 large egg yolks
•     1/8 teaspoon salt
•     2 Tbsp cornstarch
•     1 tsp pure coconut extract
•     1/4 cup heavy cream
•     2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
•     1 and 1/4 cup coconut milk
•     1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes (optional)

Coconut Cupcakes:

•     1 and ½ cups All purpose flour
•     ½ teaspoon Baking soda
•     1 and ½ teaspoons Baking powder
•     1 and ½ cups granulated Sugar
•     2 teaspoons Pure Coconut Extract
•     2 large Eggs, room temperature
•     ½ teaspoon salt
•     ⅓ cup Vegetable oil
•     ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
•     ½ cup coconut milk, room temperature
•     1 recipe of my Dreamy Coconut Buttercream Frosting  

Topping:

•     1 cup toasted coconut

Instructions

For the Coconut Custard Filling:

• Sift sugar, cornstarch and salt into a medium bowl and whisk together. Add egg yolks and whisk until combined and smooth.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk and heavy cream. Heat over medium heat until mixture begins to simmer.
• Once coconut milk mixture begins to simmer, immediately remove from heat and slowly pour a little bit into the egg mixture while whisking constantly to temper the eggs.
• Slowly pour the remaining milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking constantly.
• Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan and return to medium heat. and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture is thickened and begins to boil, 3-5 minutes. Mixture should coat the back of a spoon. Allow to boil for an additional 30 seconds.
• Remove from heat and add coconut extract and butter. Whisk until melted and smooth. Strain pudding through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Fold in the coconut flakes, if desired.
• Place plastic wrap directly on top of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or preferably overnight.

For the Coconut Cupcakes:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C), and line a standard cupcake pan with paper liners. Line a second pan with 4-6 liners. This recipe makes about 16-18 cupcakes.
• In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine.
• In a measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, coconut extract, vegetable oil, buttermilk and coconut milk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Fill each liner HALFWAY full.
• Bake in preheated oven for 14-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow cupcakes to cool in pan for 5 minutes.
• Remove the cupcakes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating. Meanwhile, make a batch of my Dreamy Coconut Buttercream Frosting.

Assembly:

• Core the centre of each cupcake using the bottom of a large piping tip, or an apple corer.
• Remove the coconut custard from the refrigerator and stir to loosen. Using a spoon or piping bag, fill the cupcakes with the custard.
• Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (I used Wilton 2A). Pipe one big dollop of frosting on top of the cupcake. On top of that dollop, pipe another one that’s slightly smaller, followed by an even smaller dollop. Alternatively, you can just pipe a normal swirl.
• Hold the cupcake over a bowl of toasted coconut and sprinkle it onto the top, until completely coated. Serve and enjoy!

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