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I’m back from St. Lucia and trying to adjust to life in the real world. Ya know – waking up to an alarm clock, cooking for myself, and not having access to copious amounts of piña coladas. As I’m slowly coming out of an island-induced haze, I find myself craving Caribbean flavors like jerk chicken, mahi-mahi and, of course – coconut.

Being a Keurig Ambassador definitely has its perks, like a sneak peek of the newest addition to the line: The Original Donut Shop Coconut Mocha. This decadent K-Cup pack has the taste of a rich chocolate donut, topped with flaky coconut, and dipped into your favorite mug.

As soon the Coconut Mocha K-Cup packs arrived on my doorstep, I knew this fun new flavor would make its way into a cupcake recipe. I started out with my favorite from scratch recipe for chocolate cake – which just so happens to call for an entire cup of freshly brewed coffee. Add on a swirl of mocha buttercream and a sprinkling of toasted, shaved coconut, and you have got one delicious dessert.

These cupcakes are not only rich and decadent, but after one bite, I was back in St. Lucia sipping piña coladas by the pool – even if it was only for a nanosecond.

Still, I’m glad to be back home, hanging with you guys.

The Original Donut Shop Coconut Mocha flavor is available in major retailers such as Macy’s, WalMart, Belk, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Amazon.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a chance to win a Keurig® Single Cup Brewer!
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Coconut-Mocha Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

For the Mocha Buttercream

4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
5 cups confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
3-5 tablespoons cold coffee

For the Garnish

1 1/2 cups coconut, lightly toasted (see recipe notes below)

Directions:

For the Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.

3. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add in the coffee and mix until just combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The batter will be thin.

4. Using a large scoop (about 3 tablespoons), distribute the batter into the prepared muffin tins -filling about 2/3 of the way full.

5. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then remove them onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

For the Mocha Buttercream

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, vanilla, and salt on medium speed until creamy.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the cocoa powder and confectioners' sugar.

3. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter and mix at low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

4. Once all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated, add in 3 tablespoons of cold coffee. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and beat the buttercream for about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. If you want your frosting a little thinner, gradually add in more coffee, 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

5. Frost your cooled cupcakes and garnish with toasted shaved coconut.

Notes:

- I used The Original Donut Shop Coconut Mocha coffee in this recipe.
- To Toast Coconut: Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread shredded, flaked, or shaved coconut on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven, stirring often, until golden brown - about 5 to 10 minutes.

My Baking Addiction: Cupcakes adapted from Ina Garten.

All images and text ©

Follow Jamie on Instagram. We love to see what you're baking from MBA! Be sure to tag @jamiemba and use the hashtag #mbarecipes!

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40 Comments

  1. Tracy says:

    I may be overlooking it and this may be a stupid question but on the recipe for your Coconut Mocha Cupcakes, the cupcake part, when you get to the liquid ingredients, I don’t see where you add the cup of coffee? I am assuming you add it in with rest of the liquid ingredients but I just want to make sure! Thanks!

    1. Jamie says:

      Hi, Tracy! You add the coffee in step 3 after adding the other wet ingredients. I hope you enjoy them!

  2. Sam says:

    I haven’t tried the devils cake mix with pudding mix but after making these I don’t think I will be either because this cupcake recipe is absolutely fantastic, so soft and moist with be using it a lot thanks :)

  3. Christina says:

    Is the cocoa powder used in the cupcakes themselves supposed to be unsweetened as well? These look delicious, I am going to try them out tomorrow :).

    1. Jamie says:

      Christina-
      Yes, unsweetened cocoa powder for both. I have updated the recipe to reflect the type. Thanks so much for bringing it to my attention.
      -Jamie

  4. Manisha says:

    the recipe sounds delicious. I wanted to know if I need to make the brewed coffee, how many tablespoons of coffee would you recommend for 1 cup of water?
    Thanks

  5. Lisa says:

    So I went looking for the Coconut-Mocha coffee for these fabulous cupcakes. My teenage daughter, yeah she thought I was crazy. :-) Finally found it and made them. She doesnt think its so crazy now. These have to be the most spectular bites I’ve had ever. Thank you so much for the great ideas and recipes. Love your site.

  6. Erin says:

    Sounds perfectly brilliant. For those of us who do not have a Keurig or those Coconut Mocha K-Cups, how do you suggest we simulate the flavour?

    Many thanks… A Keen Cupcaker.

    1. Tina @ Squirrel Acorns says:

      Yes, I was wondering the same thing. I’m just going to use regular coffee and see how they turn out.

    2. Jamie says:

      Erin-
      I would recommend using your favorite coffee in place of the Coconut-Mocha K-Cups. The flavor of the coconut coffee is quite subtle, but you may want to add 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract to the batter as well. Happy Baking and thanks so much for vising.
      -Jamie