These festive Coconut Easter Cupcakes are crowned with toasted coconut nests and speckled candy eggs! Moist, homemade coconut cupcakes are topped with sweet coconut frosting for the perfect make-ahead Easter dessert.
Reasons to Love These Coconut Easter Cupcakes
- Festive: The coconut and candy egg nests are adorable and so easy!
- Flavor: Packed with real coconut flavor from coconut milk.
- Skill Level: Easy enough for beginner bakers.
- Texture: Buttermilk and oil keeps them incredibly moist and tender.
- Kid-Friendly: My kids love helping make these cupcakes every year!
Jessica's Notes
If you aren’t good with a piping bag to make my easy Easter bunny cake, these cupcakes are the way to go! All you have to do is smear a layer of frosting on top in a flat shape and then roll it in toasted coconut to create the nest. Add on a few Robin Eggs and BAM, you have yourself some super adorable Easter cupcakes!
You can make them with any cupcake flavor of your choice, but these homemade coconut cupcakes are so worth the effort. Like my popular triple coconut cheesecake, they are packed with 3 types of coconut so they truly taste just as good as they look!
Ingredients Needed
Almost all of these simple ingredients can be found in the baking aisle. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
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- Coconut Cream: You can use a can of coconut cream OR coconut milk. Just make sure you don’t shake them, so the layers of thick coconut cream and the thinner coconut milk/water stay separate. You want to measure out and use 3/4th cup of the thick white coconut cream.
- Flour: Measure your flour by fluffing it, then spooning it into the measuring cup, and leveling it with the back of a butter knife. If you dip the cup into a packed bag of flour, you’ll use too much flour creating overly dense cupcakes.
- Extracts: You will need coconut extract for the frosting and the cupcake batter to really seal the deal on that coconut flavor. I also like to add a little almond extract to help boost the overall flavor, the final result won’t taste like almond.
- Buttermilk: This is a key ingredient to get that moist, dense, but still soft texture! In a pinch, you can substitute it for regular whole milk with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar whisked in 5 minutes before adding to the batter.
- Butter: It’ll need to be fully softened to make the frosting nice and smooth, so set it on the kitchen counter for about an hour before using.
- Coconut: I used shredded sweetened coconut for the nests, but you can also use unsweetened. I like to toast it to get those golden brown edges so it looks more like a birds nest.
How to Make Coconut Easter Cupcakes
You don’t need any special tools or equipment to create these picture perfect cupcakes – just basic kitchen utensils! Feel free to use decorative Easter-themed liners to make the presentation even more festive. Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll down to the recipe card for full instructions.
Easter Cupcake Tips & Variations
- Frosting Consistency: If your frosting is too thick, add a splash of coconut milk; if too thin, sift in a little more powdered sugar.
- Robins Eggs: Standard size or the minis are both cute. You can use any egg shaped candy though, like jelly beans, chocolate eggs, etc.
- Toasting the Coconut: Spread on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
- Make Ahead: You can easily prepare these cupcakes up to 3 days ahead of time! Just be sure to keep them in an airtight container for the best results.
Yield: 18 Cupcakes
Coconut Easter Cupcakes
Homemade coconut cupcakes are topped with Robin Eggs and shredded toasted coconut nests for the perfect make-ahead Easter dessert!
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ¾ cup coconut cream, do not shake the can, you only want the thick coconut cream on top
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
Frosting
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Toppings
- 2 cups shredded sweetened coconut, toasted (see notes for toasting instructions)
- 48 Robin Eggs, or any egg shaped candy
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake tin with liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk to combine the eggs and sugar. Beat in vegetable oil, coconut extract and almond extract. Carefully alternate between adding the dry ingredients, buttermilk, and coconut cream, mixing just until the batter comes together. Do not overmix! You can use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the batter if you prefer.
- Fill cupcake liners 3/4ths full and bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- Cream the butter, in a large bowl, until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, a half cup at a time, beating well between each addition.
- Stir in the coconut extract and almond extract until thoroughly combined. Beat the mixture well, until light and fluffy.
- Using a large spoon or butter knife, spread a thin amount of frosting onto the top of each cooled cupcake — leaving the top flat. It doesn't have to be perfectly flat, it will flatten more once pressed into the coconut.
- Place the toasted coconut on a plate and spread it in an even layer. Press the top and edges of each cupcake into the toasted coconut. Repeat with each cupcake.
- Arrange 3 Robin Eggs on top of each cupcake to look like eggs in a nest. Serve cupcakes immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature.
Notes
- Toast The Coconut: Spread the coconut in an even layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
- Short-Term Storage: Keep the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. If your kitchen is warm, store them in the refrigerator to prevent the frosting from melting.
- Refrigeration: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let them come to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cupcake, Calories: 296kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 35mg, Sodium: 145mg, Potassium: 119mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 199IU, Vitamin C: 0.4mg, Calcium: 34mg, Iron: 1mg
More Festive Easter Dessert Recipes To Try
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Delicious cupcakes! My coconut was not crispy the next day. Do you think they were still warm when I put in air tight container and caused that?
Hey Wanda! Sadly once stored the icing will soften the coconut. I recommend adding the coconut right before serving to keep it crisp.
I hate to be a spelling freak… But your cupcakes say they’re TRIPE coconut cupcakes. I know what you meant BUT it just made me think of intestines and stuff. Tripe is usually bleached white though… Any ways I and definitely throwing some coconut cream in my cupcakes tomorrow! Thanks!
Ahh. Thanks Mimi! With the new design and transfer to my new host some old posts got a little messed up in the move. Thank you for letting me know so I can correct it!!
OMG!!! These are so good. The cake is so yummy and moist! My husband said it’s the best cake I’ve ever made and we’ve been together for almost 20 years!!
I know it’s past Easter but I made these because I had coconut flakes and coconut cream on hand. I made these twice this week and they are so yummy! I liked how you used coconut creme in the recipe…it came out so moist, this will be a go to recipe for me. Thank you so much!!
Hi Jessica:
I made these for Easter dinner and they were a huge hit! I lightened them a bit by using splenda instead of sugar and was able to use lite coconut milk and apple sauce in place of the oil.
Now if only I can figure out how to made powder sugar light? I was thinking of trying to use splenda and made it a powder in my food processor. What do you think about this idea?
Thanks again!
Hi Dawn! Glad you enjoyed them and were able to lighten them up for your family. I actually have little to no experience baking with splenda, so I am not sure how it would work being made into a powdered sugar substitute.
Damn, these look good. I decided to bring a salad to Easter instead of another dessert but I might have to cave.
Guess my comment got lost in cyber space. Can’t wait to try these, but consider myself a pre-novice cook. Please tell me how to toast the coconut and help with what to buy for coconut milk. BIG THANK YOU.
Hi Ginny!
Here is a blog post about how to toast coconut: http://mybakingaddiction.com/how-to-toast-coconut/
As for the coconut milk, it’s sold in a can at every grocery store. It’s used a lot in thai food and is often found in the “asian” section of the grocery store! Good luck!
For the “pre-novice” cook, please give me baby steps to toasting coconut. Also, have no idea what to buy for coconut milk; will you help; with this ? as well? BIG thank you.
If you have the time to reply, really want to try this recipe.
These are super cute and lovely! I think I might try these for Easter!
I am unsure about the coconut milk you used. I buy the lite coconut milk at Trader Joes. Can I use this or do I need something else? Thanks!
Hi Nancy! I used regular coconut milk and would recommend using the full fat version. However, I am sure you could get away with the lite one too. 😉
I love coconut cake, one of my favorite cakes of all time and these are perfectly festive for Easter!
Easter always means coconut in some form for me, whether it’s a great coconut cake or macaroon. I always love cupcakes, and these are just beautiful!
These are super cute! I have been avoiding Cadbury mini eggs like the plague – once I start on those things, I can’t stop.
Super adorable!
Thanks Jessica 🙂
umm i freaking love Easter candy…all time fave!!
and yes, i am frosting challenged so this is perfect!
I’m horrible with a piping bag, so these cupcakes are totally my best friends. And I LOVE Robin Eggs!
Totally better as a cupcake! These are so sweet!
I am either scanning the magazines at check out or trying not to buy the candy that is begging to be eaten. Magazines are better for my waist line. How cute are these cupcakes?! They totally top macaroons any day.
These are adorable–definitely way better as cupcakes!