Coconut Easter Cupcakes

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
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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.

Coconut Easter cupcakes, topped with shredded coconut and pastel-colored candy eggs, sit on a white plate, with more displayed on a raised stand in the background. A glass of milk is visible to the right.

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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 arenโ€™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!

Top-down view of baking ingredients for easter coconut cupcake recipe on a light surface, including coconut milk, flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, almond extract, coconut extract, robin eggs candies, eggs, granulated and powdered sugar, toasted coconut, oil, buttermilk, butter.

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!

  • 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.
A close-up of a partially eaten coconut cupcake topped with white frosting, shredded toasted coconut, and small pastel-colored candy eggs, placed on a white plate. More Easter cupcakes are blurred in the background.

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.

Mixing bowl with yellow cupcake batter and a spatula on a light surface. Nearby, a bowl with toasted coconut and a small dish of colorful candy-coated chocolates. A light blue cloth is partially visible in the corner.
Step 1: Combine the coconut cupcake batter, but do not over-mix!
Twelve frosted cupcakes arranged on a cooling rack. The cupcakes have a creamy white frosting. Nearby, colorful candy eggs and a light blue cloth are partially visible. The scene is set against a light-colored background.
Step 3: Bake, cool, then frost with coconut frosting with a flat top.
A muffin tin filled with cupcake batter in twelve paper liners, ready for baking. A bowl of colorful candy and shredded coconut are in the top corners, and a blue cloth rests at the bottom left.
Step 2: Divide the batter into cupcake liners in a cupcake pan.
Twelve toasted coconut cupcakes are arranged on a cooling rack. A small bowl with candy eggs is partially visible in the upper left corner. A light blue cloth is in the lower right corner. The background is a light gray surface.
Step 4: Press cupcakes into coconut to create the nests then add candy eggs.
Easter cupcakes topped with easter nests made of shredded coconut and pastel-colored candy eggs are displayed on a white cake stand shaped like a rabbit. Additional cupcakes are scattered around the base on a light-colored surface.

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:ย Spread on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350ยฐF for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.โ€‹
  • 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.
An Easter cupcake topped with white frosting and shredded coconut, garnished with three small candy eggs in pastel colors (blue, yellow, and speckled white) on a white plate. The background shows more candy eggs slightly out of focus.
4.8 from 4 votes
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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!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time45 minutes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • ยพ cup coconut cream, do not shake the can, you only want the thick coconut cream on top
  • 1 ยฝ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 ยผ teaspoon baking powder
  • ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
  • ยฝ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • ยพ cup granulated sugar
  • ยผ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract
  • ยฝ teaspoon almond extract
  • ยฝ cup buttermilk

Frosting

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 350ยฐF. 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 โ€” 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.

Video

Notes

  • Toast The Coconut: Spread the coconut in an even layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350ยฐF for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.โ€‹
  • 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.

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

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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?

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… ย Any ways I and definitely throwing some coconut cream in my cupcakes tomorrow! ย Thanks!

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!

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.

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!

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 ๐Ÿ™‚

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!

Thank You For Being Here!

Jessica
For the past 15 years, Jorge & Jessica have loved getting to share their families' favorite recipes with all of you. They live in Florida with their 3 kids.