tropical dessert | EASYBAKED

Coconut Passion Fruit Cupcakes

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Ruthanne

These pretty little cupcakes are a perfect spring treat! A delicious passion fruit filling inside the coconut cupcake puts them over the top with flavor, and it is SO easy to make (forget all those little passionfruit seeds!) These are a must-make recipe to celebrate the beginning of summer!

I already posted a recipe for this cupcake flavor combo a year or so ago, but then I noticed something in the freezer at Walmart recently. I was picking up frozen raspberries to have on my oatmeal in the mornings, and there it was: a bag of frozen passionfruit purée frozen into tiny cubes. I got some, used them on my oatmeal, and fell in love with this product! No seeds, so mess, just a sprinkle of cubes on my warm oatmeal and…. perfection!

So… here’s a second go-around with these flavors except that this time it is WAY more real-fruity, and a totally different feel than the first time I combined these ingredients in a cupcake! The first time was more flavoring from a passion fruit syrup. This time it’s all fruit! My husband says they are like a fruit-filled doughnut and that the filling is “SO good!” I like the decorations on my first cupcakes better, but had no time to make meringues today. Check it out for inspiration though!

Want to know how to make these? Here you go (printable recipe):

INGREDIENTS:

Filling:

1 12oz bag of frozen passionfruit (available at Walmart). This is equal to about 1 1/2 cups or passionfruit purée, if you are unable to find the frozen.
1 cup granulated sugar (more or less to taste- you can decide how sweet you want these!)
1 cup water
1/2 cup cornstarch

Cupcake:

1 boxed white cake mix
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) – melted
1 can (15-16oz) of coconut milk (not cream!)
4 eggs (whites only!)
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Frosting:

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, softened to room temperature
2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Filling: make this first, so that it has time to chill before you need it.

Mix water and cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside.
Place entire package of frozen passion fruit cubes and sugar into a small saucepan.
Heat and stir until all cubes are melted and edges are bubbling.
Stir cornstarch slurry together again (it will settle) and gradually pour into fruit and sugar, stirring constantly. You may not need it all- so add it slowly, pause and stir. You want the sauce to be thick enough to not run out of the cupcake center (like the filling in a fruit pie). When it reaches this consistency, stop adding cornstarch, take off stove, pour into a bowl and pop into the refrigerator to cool.

Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
Place cake mix, eggs and melted butter in large mixing bowl and beat on low for about 1 minute until well-incorporated.
Add can of coconut milk and beat on low until incorporated, and then on high for about a minute more.
Gently stir shredded coconut in using a spoon.
Scoop batter into cupcake liners placed in a cupcake tin.
Bake at 350F degrees for 14-18 minutes. Check, and when an inserted toothpick comes out clean, they are done.
Cool completely.

Frosting:

Place powdered sugar and softened butter into a large mixing bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated and starting to get fluffy (a couple minutes).
Add about half of the cooled passion fruit filling to the mixture and beat on high until light and fluffy.
Place in a zip-top bag fitted with a piping tip.

Assembly:

Hollow out a little core in each cupcake using a knife or a cupcake corer, (affiliate link) and saving the top portion to use as a “lid”.
Place remaining filling into a small zip-top bag and clip a corner off.
Pipe filling into each cupcake, and top with “lid”.
Pipe icing on top of each cupcake, sprinkle with coconut, and top with a little drop of filling, if you have enough left.
Enjoy!!!

My thoughts: I really enjoyed making these and sharing them with people. They are such cheery little cupcakes and that pop of flavor from the passionfruit in the middle is amazing! I really hope you get a chance to try these! ~r

Other fun summer cupcakes to try- just click on a photo to see the recipe!

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Posted in Cupcakes, frosting, Seasonal dessert and tagged coconut, coconut cupcakes, fruit filled cupcakes, fruity cupcakes, passionfruit, passionfruit filling, passionfruit frosting, tropical cupcakes, tropical dessert. Bookmark the permalink.

Coconut Cupcakes with Passionfruit Icing

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Ruthanne

*These deliciously dense coconut cupcakes are infused with passionfruit syrup and topped with passionfruit icing* *and a coconut meringue.*

Anyone ready for sunshine?? Goodness, winter in Indiana always seems to last forever. I was craving tropical, sunshiny flavors, and that is what inspired these treats. I did two versions… the confetti version (above) and the classier silver sprinkle version:

I first fell in love with passionfruit in the country of Peru. I was visiting my friend Deb, and we had an incredible visit to both Machu Picchu and the jungles of the Amazon. In both places, we had maracuya juice and delicious desserts made with the same fruit. I later learned that maracuya is passionfruit and I began to search for it in every possible place in the US. Paired with coconut, it creates just the *best* tropical dessert.

I’ve been wanting to add little meringues to the top of cupcakes for awhile now, and these seemed like the perfect opportunity. For sure, they are decorative, and you would not *have* to do these, but they add a little bit of coconut crunch on the top, and make the cupcakes soooo cute!

Want the recipe?

Let’s start with the meringues. Feel free to skip these, if you want- you can simply add sprinkles to the frosting to save time! (Printable recipe)

Meringue Ingredients: (makes 24-30 meringues)

4 large egg whites at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon coconut extract
fun sprinkles

Meringue Directions:

Preheat oven to 225F and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl.
Use an electric mixer and mix on low speed until mixture becomes foamy.
Increase speed to high, and gradually add sugar, about 1 Tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until sugar is dissolved (about 15-20 seconds between each addition).
Beat until mixture is thick, shiny, and has increased in volume. Mixture should have stiff peaks and sugar should be completely dissolved.
Add coconut extract and mix until combined.
Fit a piping tip (I used a large star tip) into a piping bag or a large zip-top bag, and pipe meringues on parchment paper (close- they do not expand). Sprinkle with confetti sprinkles or silver balls.
Bake on 225F for 1 hour. Turn off the oven once the baking time is over, and do not open the oven. Leave the oven door closed and allow cookies to cool completely in the oven (1-2 hours) before removing. Once cooled, these can be stored in an airtight container for a few days before using.

Ready for that cupcake recipe? Here it is: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

Cupcakes: (makes 24 cupcakes)

2 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of shredded coconut (finely chopped)– plus a little to sprinkle on cupcakes at the end
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
4 egg whites and 1 egg yolk at room temp
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 cup cream of coconut, plus about 1/4 cup to brush over tops of cupcakes.
2 tablespoons water

Icing:

2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
1 stick (1/2 c) unsalted butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup of passionfruit syrup

DIRECTIONS:

Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 325F
Add flour, sugar, baking powder, chopped coconut, and salt to a large mixing bowl and using an electric mixer combine these dry ingredients well.
Melt butter in microwave and add to dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together the rest of ingredients.
Slowly add half of liquid mixture to dry, while mixing on medium. Mix until completely combined.
Slowly add the rest of the liquid and mix on high for about a minute until well combined.
Divide batter into 24 cupcake liners in cupcake tins.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean.
Allow cupcakes to cool in pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Poke holes into tops of each cupcake and use a pastry brush to brush coconut cream on top of each cupcake. Be generous- this will make your cupcake nice and moist.
Allow coconut cream to soak in while you make icing.

Icing:

Add all ingredients into a mixing bowl and combine with a mixer on low. Then whip on high until light and fluffy.
Frosting will be a pale yellow color. If you want it to be more vivid, add a little yellow food coloring.
Pipe icing on top of each cupcake using large star tip in a piping bag. Evenly divide icing among the 24 cupcakes.
Place a meringue on the top of each cupcake, and sprinkle a little chopped coconut on the frosting.
Enjoy!

My thoughts: These are a little fussy with the meringues, but aren’t they SO cute??? We kept these covered in a cupcake container, and even almost a week later, the meringues were still crisp and delicious. I thought they might get a little soggy, but they really stored well. We also love the passion fruit syrup in lots of other things besides these cupcakes! It’s delicious in tea, we added some to our orange juice at breakfast, and I’m already thinking of other ways I can use this amazing flavor in other desserts! I hope you get a chance to try these delicious, tropical cupcakes soon! Enjoy! ~r