Adorned with green shredded coconut as the grass and candy eggs perched in a frosted nest, these little Easter nest cupcakes are as cute as a cupcake gets! Plus, they’re actually easy to make with a quick box mix and a tub of chocolate frosting.
Why this recipe works
These Easter nest cupcakes elevate your holiday dessert table with their cute toppings, and you don’t need a giant list of ingredients to make them happen. A boxed cake mix, a can of chocolate frosting, coconut and food coloring, and a heap of chocolate candy eggs come together to make the cutest batch of birds nest cupcakes.
Easter is one of those holidays that we love to make adorable little sweet treats for. Our bunny butt cupcakes and Easter chick cupcakes are great examples, and it was finally time to dedicate a post to these birds nest cupcakes!
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
CUPCAKES – We are using a simple boxed cake mix for this recipe to save you a bit of time on prep as our main focus is on the cute details on top. We chose chocolate to imitate the look of dirt, but vanilla, white, or even carrot cake would be great as well as your favorite flavor of homemade cupcakes.
FROSTING – Again, to keep this recipe quick, we opted for a tub of chocolate frosting from the grocery store. Easily substitute with homemade chocolate buttercream or chocolate fudge frosting if desired.
NESTS – Many different brands make their own version of a “grass” piping tip, which is basically a piping tip with multiple holes; for Wilton, it is Tip 233. Use this kind of tip to get the stringy effect to make the birds nests you see in the photos.
COCONUT – The coconut works as the “grass” below the frosting nest. Simply mix with green food coloring until you reach the desired color.
How to Make Easter Nest Cupcakes
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Prepare and bake the cupcakes according to the directions on the cupcake/cake mix you bought. Let them cool to room temperature.
- Add the coconut to a medium bowl. Start with a few drops of green gel food coloring, and stir it in, adding more as necessary to get the shade of green you want.
- Once the cupcakes are cool, frost the tops with a thin layer of chocolate frosting and immediately dip the frosted tops into the green coconut.
- After all the cupcakes are decorated with coconut, put the remaining frosting into a piping bag fitted with a “grass” tip (see Notes) to pipe the bird’s nests on top of the cupcakes. Pipe a bird’s nest on top on top of each cupcake by piping swirls of frosting around in a circle, building up the sides of the nest.
- Place 3 candy eggs in each bird’s nest.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Yes! The coconut works as the “grass” below the frosting nest, so to replace that, you can opt for chocolate or green-colored sprinkles to give the same effect. You can also use the same piping tip called for to make the birds nests, to make the grass. Using green frosting, pipe upwards in short vertical spouts on top of the cupcake to create this look.
Store the cupcakes in an air-tight container kept at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can easily prepare these a day in advance to save some time.
Serving Suggestions
Another alternative to these would be to make quick and easy box mix cupcakes, top with a piping of frosting, then garnish with easter nest cookies. They would be sweet to serve at baby showers as well!
You can switch up the color of the coconut if you want; pastel colors would be really pretty. The options are endless when it comes to decorating these cuties.
More Easter Dessert Recipes
I love to bake and cook and share my kitchen experience with all of you! Remembering to come back each day can be tough, that’s why I offer a convenient newsletter every time a new recipe posts. Simply subscribe and start receiving your free daily recipes!
Easter Nest Cupcakes
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 15.25 ounce chocolate cake mix plus the ingredients on the back of the box
Coconut Grass
- 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
- green gel food coloring
Other
- 32 ounces chocolate frosting two 16 ounce tubs
- 72 mini candy eggs
Things You’ll Need
- Grass piping tip such as Wilton Tip 233
Before You Begin
- Many different brands make their own version of a “grass” piping tip, which is basically a piping tip with multiple holes; for Wilton, it is Tip 233.
- Feel free to use whatever flavor of cake mix and frosting you like.
- Store the cupcakes in an air-tight container kept at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can easily prepare them a day in advance to save some time.
- If you want to omit the coconut flakes, simply dip the frosted cupcakes in green sprinkles. You can also use the same piping tip called for to make the birds nests, to make the grass. Using green frosting, pipe upwards in short vertical spouts on top of the cupcake to create this look.
Instructions
- Prepare and bake the cupcakes according to the directions on the cupcake/cake mix you bought. Let them cool to room temperature.
- Add the coconut to a medium bowl. Start with a few drops of green food coloring, and stir it in, adding more as necessary to get the shade of green you want.
- Once the cupcakes are cool, frost the tops with a thin layer of chocolate frosting and immediately dip the frosted tops into the green coconut.
- After all the cupcakes are decorated with coconut, put the remaining frosting into a piping bag fitted with a “grass” tip (see Notes) to pipe the bird’s nests on top of the cupcakes. Pipe a bird’s nest on top on top of each cupcake by piping swirls of frosting around in a circle, building up the sides of the nest.
- Place 3 candy eggs in each bird’s nest.
Nutrition
Lindsay Formaro
Latest posts by Lindsay Formaro (see all)
- Mini Candy Corn Cheesecakes - October 3, 2024
- Cake Mix Cookie Bars - August 8, 2024
- Lasagna Soup - February 26, 2024
Leave a Reply