Triple chocolate coconut cupcakes (for Easter!)

So the month of March just slipped by, didn't it? Between school, life, and lab, I did manage to find plenty of time to bake, but unfortunately never got around to documenting it into this blog. It's a shame because I really wanted to show off the MIT beaver cake pops I made for recruitment weekend, the ginger apple pear pie I made for Pi Day, and the Irish Car Bomb cupcakes I made for St. Patrick's Day, but it didn't make sense to post them after the relevant holiday was long over.

Which is why I'm making a concerted effort to get these Easter-themed cupcakes blogged before Easter is over. Growing up, Easter was one of those holidays I never really celebrated, so Easter egg hunts and baskets were largely unfamiliar to me when I was younger. That didn't stop me from getting into the spirit this year, however!

I dyed eggs for the first time last night with a friend, and today, I attended an Easter potluck, complete with a ham and everything. For my share of the potluck, I brought dessert (surprise, surprise).

The cupcake was my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe - it's very deep and intense. I've used it before in previous recipes, such as my Halloween owl cupcakes or my red wine cupcakes. Nothing new, but the focus of my cupcake today was the decorations.

Because I had tons of shredded coconut leftover from a previous recipe, I decided to dye the coconut green and use it as grass. After frosting the cupcake (in perfectly yummy white chocolate buttercream), I rolled it in the coconut to make it look like a grassy field. I then piped pink roses on top (using the same white chocolate buttercream), and as a finishing touch, added an edible rice paper butterfly on top. I had gotten these butterfly toppers as a gift awhile back, but hadn't found a good opportunity to use them until now!

The result was a very Easter-appropriate cupcake, reminding me of the spring that we should be having in Boston right now...

Triple chocolate coconut cupcakes (makes 24 cupcakes)
(Cupcake recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction)

Cupcakes:

• 1½ (190 g) cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup (84 g) cocoa (unsweetened)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter (unsalted)
• 4 oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup (200 g) of white sugar
• ½ (100 g) cup of dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of buttermilk

Frosting/toppings: 

• 3 ounces (85g) white chocolate
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter (unsalted, at room temperature)
• 1 cup ((120 g) powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1 ttsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• Food coloring
• ~1-2 cups of shredded coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt) together. 
3. Melt butter with chocolate in the microwave (use 30 second intervals) until melted and mix until smooth. Let cool. 
4. Mix eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla together in a stand mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add cooled chocolate butter mixture. Fold in flour mixture, and then the buttermilk. Mix until just combined (don't overbeat!)
5. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill each with ~3 Tbsp of batter.
6. Bake in oven for 18-20 minutes, or until an inserted fork in the middle comes out clean. Let cool. 
7. Melt white chocolate in microwave until its smooth. Let cool slightly. 
8. Cream butter in a stand mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and continue mixing until fully combined. Add heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt and keep stirring until the frosting is light and fluffy. 
9. Spread a layer of frosting on the tops of all cupcakes with a butter knife. 
10. Add 4-5 drops of green food coloring to the coconut and stir with a fork until the coloring is even. 
11. Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the green coconut until the tops are coated completely. 
12. Add 4-5 drops of food coloring (pick your favorite color!) to remaining frosting and beat until coloring is even. 
13. Pipe colored frosting onto cupcakes into flower designs. 
14. (optional) Add butterfly cupcake toppers to the tops of flowers. 
15. Enjoy!