Easter Basket Cupcakes

Is it embarrassing to admit that I'm giddy with excitement to show off the cupcakes I baked for Easter?? I honestly kept giggling like a school girl while decorating them because they are just that cute (not to toot my own horn or anything)! I made one of my favorite cupcake batters, coconut vanilla cake, and topped it with a cream cheese frosting, green grass aka coconut, and milk chocolate eggs, and wrapped it with the cutest little white basket liners. And Ta-Da, here are my adorable Easter Basket Cupcakes.

I started by baking the coconut cupcakes. Its a very thick vanilla batter with lots of shredded coconut folded in and the perfect amount of subtle sweetness.

While the cupcakes are cooling, I dyed shredded coconut with one drop green food paste and one half drop of yellow to make pastel green grass to decorate the cupcake. I love William Sonoma's Food Paste Set, it literally will last you a lifetime because just one baby drop is so potent so use sparingly. I also mixed up the coconut with the food paste in a ziploc baggie so I would avoid stained fingers on Easter. No green thumb for me (sorry I couldn't resist).

Now its time to frost with a deliciousy rich and tangy cream cheese frosting and top with our green coconut.

Once frosted, drop them into the adorable white basket liners I found at Michael's. If you can't find the basket liners, don't worry, it will still look equally as cute with plain pastel cupcake liners. And now top the cupcakes with mini chocolate eggs.

And you have the world's cutest Easter cupcakes, that are just as tasty as they are pretty! Don't wait until next Easter to try out the coconut cupcakes though, they are a perfect Spring Dessert for any occasion.

Hope Everyone had a very Happy Easter!
xox
Bri

Easter Basket Cupcakes

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:

1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 lb. confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 small drop Green Food Paste
1/2 small drop Yellow Food Paste
Mini Chocolate Eggs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes. In a ziploc freezer bag, mix the remaining coconut with the drops of food paste and mix up until all the coconut is a pastel green. Sprinkle on top of frosted cupcakes and arrange milk chocolate eggs on top.