Name: Vanilla Bean-Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting
Yield: Makes 18
Ingredients: 2 13-to 14-ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk* (preferably organic); 2 cups all purpose flour; 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature; 1 1/3 cups sugar; 3 large eggs; Seeds scraped from 1 split vanilla bean or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 cup reduced coconut milk (see above), room temperature; 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature; 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 1/3 cup reduced coconut milk (see above), room temperature; Seeds scraped from 1 split vanilla bean or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted (for garnish)

Why it works: Coconut and vanilla match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,294 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Coconut + vanillatop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,294 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,187 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Coconut + milktop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,648 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the coconut

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, flour, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla):

Figfits about as well
Raisinfits about as well
Coconutthe original
Blueberryfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against milk, flour, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Coconut	1/2 cup shredded (40g)	283
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Seed	not in our table	0
Bean	not in our table	0

Vanilla Bean-Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting