Bird Nest Cupcakes

To start this post, I need to apologize for not posting these recipes (perfect for Easter) in a timely manner. We have dealt with a funeral, a very sick cat and we said goodbye to our beloved dog of 7 years, who was a precious member of our family, this week. But without further ado, here is my recipe for Bird Nest Cupcakes.

To begin, make the recipe for "Hummingbird Cupcakes" on this blog. This will be the base of the bird nest.
Next, make the recipe for "Cream Cheese Frosting" on this blog. This will act as the glue for the bird nest and eggs.

On a baking sheet or baking dish, spread sweetened coconut covering the bottom of the dish.

Add 1/8 tsp of brown food coloring gel and 1/8 tsp moss green food coloring gel. I use Wilton Icing Color gels- they add rich color without changing the consistency of the recipe. Using your hand, toss the cococut around, spreading the color onto each flake. It takes several minutes of tossing and rubbing hand fulls of coconut together to incorporate colors.

Once the color is incorporated as evenly as possible, place dish of coconut in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. This will dry out the coconut and slightly toast to make a realistic bird nest look.

Cool coconut completely before decorating your cupcakes.

Frost cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting and using your hand, apply a large amount of coconut on top of the icing pressing it into the frosting so it will stick. Make sure coconut covers as much of the icing as possible to create a realistic bird nest effect.

Place three candied eggs in the middle of the nest and you have now created a "Bird Nest Cupcake".
These were a hit at our Easter family celebration today. I hope you enjoy.
Happy Baking!