Name: Coconut Buttercream
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 200 g butter (softened); 200 g creamed coconut block; 300 g icing sugar; A little milk

Easy to make, smooth coconut buttercream which is packed full of flavour. Perfect for decorating cupcakes, layer cakes and biscuits.

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As promised, I’m back with my recipe for coconut buttercream to top the coconut cupcakes I shared last week.

As with the cupcakes, the key to getting lots of coconut flavour into this buttercream is using creamed coconut block from the asian food aisle. It also means that your buttercream is lovely and smooth so it’s perfect for piping.

The cupcakes recipe was accidentally dairy-free so perfect for anyone with an allergy or intolerance. This buttercream recipe isn’t dairy-free, however I’ve added details just below the main recipe to make a simple adjustment to make this dairy-free and vegan.

What You’ll Need

Before you start, make sure you have all of the equipment needed.

NOTE – These are affiliate links which means that if you purchase from Amazon after clicking on one the product links below I may earn a small commission. All of the products linked are ones I use in my kitchen.

Weighing Scales
Measuring Spoons
Knife – to cut the butter
Small bowl to melt the creamed coconut in the microwave or small pan to melt it on the hob
Electric Mixer (or a bowl and hand mixer or wooden spoon)
Sieve
Piping Bags – if you’re planning on piping the cupcakes
Piping Nozzle – To pipe the cupcakes as shown in the pictures you’ll need a JEM 1B nozzle.

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5 from 2 votes

Coconut Buttercream

Easy to make, smooth coconut buttercream which is packed full of flavour. Perfect for decorating cupcakes, layer cakes and biscuits.

Active Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 12 servings

INGREDIENTS

Metric - US Cups/Ounces

200 g butter - softened
200 g creamed coconut block
300 g icing sugar
A little milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt the creamed coconut (200g). This can either be done in the microwave in bursts of 20 seconds, mixing between each one, or on the hob over a very low heat. The consistency of the coconut should be thick but easily stirred. Leave to cool.
Cut the butter (200g) into cubes and beat (either by hand or with an electric mixer on a low speed) until smooth.
Add the icing sugar (300g) and beat until fully combined – I prefer to add the sugar a couple of spoonfuls at a time as this minimises the amount of sugar that flies out all over the kitchen! You’ll find that at first it’ll start to look lumpy but keep persevering and it’ll smooth out.
Gradually add the melted creamed coconut, beating in each addition before adding more.
Take a look at the consistency of your buttercream. If it is a spreadable/pipeable consistency then it's ready to use. If it is a little too stiff then add milk (no more that 1 tsp at a time) until you have the right consistency. Beating in each addition of milk fully before adding more.
Your buttercream is now ready to use.

NOTES

Looking for a cupcake to top with this buttercream? You can find all of my recipes in my cupcake index.

Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a comment and rating at the bottom of the page to let others know what you thought.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Any nutritional information shown is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you want to learn more about how this is calculated.

How to make dairy-free/vegan coconut buttercream

Adapting this recipe to make this buttercream dairy-free (and also vegan) is really simple.

All you need to do is switch the 200g of butter for 100g dairy-free margarine (I use Pure Sunflower) and 100g baking block which is soft at room temperature (I use Stork).

Replace the milk used to get the buttercream to the right consistency with coconut-milk (or other dairy-free milk).

The method for making the buttercream is exactly the same as for the recipe above.

Free From/Suitable For…

The ingredients I used to make this recipe are all free from the following allergens. However, please check any labels carefully for allergens you need to avoid as brands can vary and product recipes can change over time.

Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans (only vegan if using the dairy-free adjustments above)
Gluten-Free
Egg-Free
Dairy-Free (only if using the dairy-free adjustments above)
Tree Nut-Free
Peanut-Free
Sesame-Free
Soya-Free
Sulphur Dioxide & Sulphite-Free
Lupin-Free

Comments

Janet Lane says
7 February 2019 at 5:48 pm

Perfect flavour and consistency, just what I was looking for.
Martha says
4 June 2018 at 9:35 pm

I love the flavour coconut and so this buttercream is heaven for me – I always finish up the Bountys in the Celebration tin. I tried it with a plain sponge but next time I might go with chocolate. Thanks for the recipe
- Charlotte Oates says
  6 June 2018 at 5:24 pm
  Or maybe try my coconut sponge
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
10 February 2018 at 6:53 pm
Oooo it looks so very tempting … and to think I have a creamed coconut block in the cupboard too (no idea why I didn’t think of that when were were chatting about it on IG the other day!)
Angela x
- Charlotte Oates says
  11 February 2018 at 4:38 pm
  I suspect is because it’s usually use for more savoury dishes and isn’t in the baking aisle. I only tried it on a who because I had some in the cupboard. I’m very glad I did!