This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Mars Wrigley Confectionery US, LLC. All opinions are mine alone. #SpringMoments #CollectiveBias
I have a perfect Easter dessert idea for you today that is simple, pretty and you are not going to believe how delicious. I really love this cupcake and it is for sure going into our super special family heirloom recipe collection where I store only the best of the best of the best. If the hunt is on for something really cute and fun for your Easter, this is a recipe you might want to try.
These coconut cupcakes are amazing and complimented by this super creamy frosting and topped with toasted coconut flakes. To add a little more fun for Easter, I bought a M&M’S® 62oz. Pastel Peanut Chocolate Candy Bag from Sam’s Club and used the M&M’S® candies as little eggs to top the cupcakes. And I picked up the Mars Chocolate Spring Mixed Minis Bag, 165ct for little treats and to fill Easter eggs this year. You can hover over the photo above to pick up a bag for yourself directly from Sam’s Club.
To say these cupcakes were a hit is a massive understatement and best of all they are so simple! Nothing complicated here friends- just a basic cupcake recipe, toasted coconut on top and a few cute pastel eggs to finish it off.
Ready? Here is the recipe:
- 1½ sticks butter at room temp
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs at room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch kosher salt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 package sweetened coconut (about 7oz)
- For frosting:
- 8oz cream cheese at room temp
- 1½ sticks butter at room temp
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 3½ cups sifted powdered sugar
- ½ cup M&M’S® Pastel Peanut Chocolate Candy
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy- about 3 minutes on high speed.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition.
- Add vanilla and almond and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients and sift.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the cupcake mixture- starting and ending with dry ingredients.
- Gently fold in about 3-4 oz of coconut. Do not overmix.
- Place cupcake liners into a muffin pan and fill each about ¾ of the way with the mixture.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a fork inserted into your largest cupcake comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Spread remaining 3 oz or so of coconut in a thin layer on top of a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for about 5-7 minutes until toasted- keep an eye on it so it isn't burned.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- To make the frosting:
- Add sugar and butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low.
- Add the extracts and slowly add the confectioners sugar ½ cup at a time.
- Add slightly more sugar if frosting seems a little too thin or buttery.
- Frost cupcakes, top with toasted coconut and a few M&M’S® candies to serve as the eggs.
To make the M&M’S® candies look a little more like an actual egg, I dipped a fresh paintbrush into water and then dipped it into brown food coloring and gently tapped the paintbrush over the candies.
This created a splatter effect onto the candies.
It only took a few minutes for this extra detail and then I let the food coloring completely dry on the M&M’S® candies. I love this little extra detail.
To toast the coconut- try to keep the layer really thin. Any clumps won’t toast properly.
Don’t worry if the edges are varying colors. I think it makes the nests look more realistic.
Once you use a fork or your fingers to mix the coconut together, it will look perfect.
Here are your cupcakes just before adding the little M&M’S® candies. I used just a dab of buttercream on the underside to ensure the candies stay on top of the cupcake.
If you decide to try this recipe, please come back and let me know what you think!
Recipe adapted from Ina Garten.
[…] Birds Nest Coconut Cupcakes – YUM! {Image 2} […]