More Than 50,000 Readers Made the Viral Easter Recipe Behind These Cupcakes

Name: More Than 50,000 Readers Made the Viral Easter Recipe Behind These Cupcakes
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 24 serving(s)
Ingredients: 3 c. cake flour, spooned and leveled; 1/4 c. malted milk powder; 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder; 1 tsp. kosher salt; 1 c. canola oil; 1 c. half-and-half; 1 c. granulated sugar; 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract; 1 tsp. pure coconut extract; 1 large egg plus 2 large egg whites, at room temperature; 1/8 tsp. brown gel food coloring; Robin Egg’s candies; 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature; Pinch of kosher salt; 4 c. confectioners' sugar; 2 tbsp. milk or heavy cream; Blue gel food coloring; Phyllo Nest

They're a twist on our most famous cake.

By Beth BranchPublished: Apr 11, 2025

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cupcakes decorated to look like robins eggs in a nest

Becky Luigart-Stayner for Country Living

Yields:

24 serving(s)

Prep Time:

45 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 40 mins

Back by popular demand, we've given you something new and fun—our Speckled Malted Coconut Cake in cupcake form. Wow classmates at school when you take them for a birthday celebration or serve at a casual springtime event. No matter how you present them, the are all going to get gobbled up.

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Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

3 cups cake flour, spooned and leveled
1/4 cup malted milk powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup canola oil
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. pure coconut extract
1 large egg plus 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 tsp. brown gel food coloring
Robin Egg’s candies

For the Frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. pure coconut extract
Pinch of kosher salt
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 Tbsp. milk or heavy cream
Blue gel food coloring
Phyllo Nest

Directions

1. Step 1Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two standard size 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Whisk together flour, malted milk powder, baking powder, and salt in bowl.
2. Step 2Whisk together oil, half-and-half, sugar, vanilla, coconut extract, and whole egg in a second bowl until smooth. Fold in flour mixture just until incorporated. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Fold egg whites into batter just until combined.
3. Step 3Transfer to prepared pans, dividing evenly (each cup should be about two-thirds full). Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes. Cool in pans on a wire rack 15 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.
4. Step 4Make the buttercream: Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in coconut extract and salt. Slowly beat in confectioners’ sugar and milk until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in a drop or two of blue food coloring to create a pale
  blue Robin’s egg color.
5. Step 5Pipe or spread frosting on each cupcake, dividing evenly. Stir together food coloring and 2 drops water in a bowl. Dip the tip of a wide, stiff paintbrush into mixture. Holding the brush 6 to 8 inches from the cake, tap the paintbrush with your other hand to splatter the mixture onto the iced cupcakes. Repeat for desired effect. Place two Robin’s egg candies on top of each cupcake and press baked phyllo dough around them to create a nest.