Festive Coconut Easter Basket Cupcakes

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Easter Basket Cupcakes is a fun and easy Easter cupcake recipe with coconut to celebrate the Easter season with your family.  This from-scratch recipe is a homemade vanilla cupcake recipe I got from my Mom years ago; it is super moist and takes 15 minutes from bowl to oven.  The top is a fluffy cream cheese frosting dipped in fresh (colored) coconut to create the basket.  Add your favorite Easter candy and the cupcakes are ready to eat, a festive dessert to bring for Easter Day brunch or dinner.  These cupcakes are so easy to make, even if you are not experienced with cake decorating (like me), you’ll have no problem making these look super cute!

Festive Easter Basket Cupcakes

Cake

• 1/2 c. Butter, softened
• 1 1/2 c. Sugar
• 1 c. Buttermilk
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 2 c. Cake Flour
• 1 Tbsp. Baking Powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place 12 cupcake liners* in a muffin tin. Cream the butter and sugar together with a mixer until blended, then add the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.  Cream another minute.  Add the salt and 1 cup of flour, and mix on low for about 1 minute. Add the other cup of flour and baking powder and mix for another minute.  Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners and place in the oven.  Bake for about 20-22 minutes (test for doneness) and remove to cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 (8 oz) blocks of Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 stick (1/2 c.) of Butter, softened
• 2 c. Confectioners Sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 3-4 Drops of Green Food Coloring
• 1 – 1 1/2 c. Shredded Coconut
• 3-4 Drops of Green Food Coloring
• Jelly Beans, Easter M&M’s or similar

Place the cream cheese and butter together in a bowl and cream with a mixer until smooth.  Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar, blending in well.  Add the vanilla extract and green food coloring and blend until thoroughly mixed.  In a separate bowl, mix the shredded coconut and green food coloring until completely blended.  Frost the cooled cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting, then dip in the coconut.  Top with 2-3 of your favorite Easter candies.   Make sure you leave one out for the Easter bunny!

If you want a “handle” for your Easter basket, cut some licorice rope and loop it on the top of the cupcake.  

To make this even healthier, do the following: 

• Use 1/2 cake flour and 1/2 almond or oat flour
• Use grass-fed butter
• Use coconut sugar instead of white sugar
• Use Neufchâtel cheese instead of regular cream cheese

For another festive Easter sweet treat, try these fluffy carrot cookies!

 

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