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A quick and easy coconut cupcake made with a box white cake mix, light coconut milk and apple sauce. No butter, no oil necessary for this lower calorie cupcake recipe! Sweetened coconut flakes are combined with a light cream cheese frosting for a divine finish!
Coconut Cupcakes
If you prefer baking from scratch, try these Pineapple Zucchini Cupcakes made with coconut flakes… amazing! And if coconut isn’t your thing, these Pineapple Bliss Cupcakes are one of my most popular desserts and are so simple to make. Enjoy!
And to give it an Easter vibe, don’t you just love these adorable Cadbury mini-eggs! Completely optional, but fitting for the Easter Holiday. If you’re a coco-NUT like me, you’ll just love these!
Note: If you make these a day ahead, don’t frost them. Keep the frosting refrigerated and frost them the day you plan to eat them.
 More Easter Dessert Recipes:
- Super Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Easter Egg Coconut Macaroon Nests
- Easter Egg Cake Balls
- Hummingbird Cupcakes
Skinny Coconut Cupcakes
A quick and easy coconut cupcake made with a box white cake mix, light coconut milk and apple sauce. No butter, no oil necessary for this lower calorie cupcake recipe! Sweetened coconut flakes are combined with a light cream cheese frosting for a divine finish!
Yield: 24 servings
Serving Size: 1 cupcake
Ingredients
For the Frosting:
- 8 oz 1/3 less fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese not fat free
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp natural coconut extract
For the Cupcakes:
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup canned light coconut milk Thai Kitchen
- 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 2 tsp natural coconut extract
- 18.25 oz white box cake mix Duncan Hines
- 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 72 Cadbury mini chocolate eggs
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese with the powdered sugar and coconut extract with a mixer. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line 24 cupcake tins with liners.
- In a large bowl combine egg whites, coconut milk, apple sauce and remaining coconut extract. Mix well, then add cake mix and mix until combined.
- Pour batter into lined cupcake tins about halfway and bake 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let cupcakes cool to room temperature.
- Top each cupcake with 1/2 tablespoon of cream cheese, then top each with 1 tsp coconut flakes.
- For an Easter theme top each cupcake with 3 mini chocolate eggs.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Nutrition
Serving: 1 cupcake, Calories: 196 kcal, Carbohydrates: 31 g, Protein: 2.5 g, Fat: 6.5 g, Saturated Fat: 1.5 g, Cholesterol: 1.3 mg, Sodium: 150 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 11.5 g
HELP! I am making these for Easter but my Dunkin Hines cake mix is only 15.25 oz box, how can I adjust??
I’ve wondered the same thing ! Ticks me off that manufacturers do that. We all understand an increase in price but to get that + LESS product is a real rip off ! Appears as though Pillsbury & Betty Crocker are also 15.25. That’s a full 3 oz difference. I’m thinking of making my own cake mix but in the interim I’ll just reduce the liquid slightly or maybe use 1.5 egg whites. Either way it will be a GUESS so will just keep my fingers crossed !!
Its very frustrating and I would have to test them again to know for sure.
Thanks Gina – I’m no professional baker or anything tho been baking since Jr High some 50+ yrs ago. I’ve made this recipe several times and everyone LOVES them. I made a batch when I posted my 1st comment, they’ve cooled now and without the frosting both my husband and I taste tested them and they are every bit as good as previously. I reduced the coconut milk ever so slightly and used roughly 1.5 egg whites, those measurements may not help anyone but it seemed to work. I have a feeling even keeping with the original recipe with the cake mix being only 15.25 oz now that most likely it won’t matter. Just thought I’d share 🙂 Thank you for this great recipe !!
Can I substitute  Unsweetened Thai Coconut milk? Or would you suggest adding some sugar? Â
Can you use regular coconut milk if light was out of stock?
Might be a silly question but… Would this recipe still work as a cake instead rather than cupcakes??Â
I have made these several times and they are amazing. Thank you
The cake mix is only 15,25 Oz instead of the 18. What did you do to adjust?
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Thank you for sharing the points+ on your recipe’s. I see so many things on here that look wonderful look great and you no WW people can eat a anything and if the points aren’t there or the nutritional values so I can use my point + calculator I just pass it by…so thanks for your help.
I usef a chocolate cake mix and turned out great!????
Gina – can this be made as a cake? Maybe in a Bundt pan?
We love your site and recipes so much we choose to feature this skinny coconut cupcake recipe on our Easter roundup here, http://www.thehappygal.com/healthy-easter-recipes/ Thank you!
-The Happy Gal
I made these for Easter, just according to the directions and they came out perfect. And beautiful.