About 10 years ago, my go-to cake recipe involved a box of cake mix, a can of crushed pineapple, a can of sweetened condensed milk, a bag of coconut and a tub of Cool Whip. It wasn’t very fancy, but it was definitely good: I won an office baking competition with that cake.

Since then, I’ve moved away from cake mix whenever possible, and I’ve found that in most instances, mixing the sugar, flour and baking powder together myself creates a better end result. Except in this case.

This cake-mix reliant coconut cupcake recipe is just as good — if not better — than any boutique coconut cupcake or from-scratch white cake I’ve ever had. Just in case you don’t believe me: I made it for a friend’s birthday one year, and she said they were better than Georgetown Cupcakes. Plus, it requires very little work… and you don’t have to tell anyone that a box was involved. If you’re really anti-cake-mix, you could probably make your own, but I’ve never tried it that way.

The frosting is also one of my all-time favorites. It’s a cream cheese frosting with a healthy dose of cream of coconut, made even more tropical and delicious with the addition of sweetened flake coconut on top.

For Easter, I dyed the coconut green (a very simple process) and pressed it around the edges of the cupcakes, then arranged some pastel chocolate eggs on top to make the cupcakes look like bird’s nests or handle-less Easter baskets.

My hands got a little sticky from the coconut, but the whole decoration period just took a few minutes. I love low-maintenance decorations that look like you’ve been slaving away all day! The chocolate eggs worked really well with the coconut, but if you wanted to use jelly beans instead (or no eggs at all), a lemon curd filling would be great with the sweetness of the cupcakes. Perfect for any spring or summertime event!

Coconut cupcakes with coconut cream cheese frosting (Adapted from Southern Living, makes about two dozen cupcakes)
Cupcakes
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1 package white cake mix (get the kind that has pudding in the mix, if possible)
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract (optional!)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Melt the butter in a small bowl or measuring cup and allow to cool slightly (you may want to leave other half of the butter stick out on the counter at this point, to use later for the frosting). Use a hand-held electric mixer to beat together the cake mix, buttermilk, eggs and extracts in a large bowl on low speed, just until combined. Add the melted butter and beat on medium-high until the batter is smooth (about two minutes).

Arrange paper cupcake cups in two muffin pans and pour the batter into the cups, filling each about halfway. Bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back if pressed lightly with your finger.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then put them on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Coconut cream cheese frosting
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened by sitting at room temperature for about 30 minutes
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened by sitting at room temperature for about 30 minutes
1-pound bag of powdered sugar (about 4 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/2 cup cream of coconut (I use Coco Lopez, which is sometimes with the alcohol mixers)

Use a handheld electric mixer on medium to beat the cream cheese and butter together until soft and creamy. Add half of the powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then add the rest of the powdered sugar, the vanilla and 1/4 cup of cream of coconut and beat on low until combined, then on medium-high until smooth. Add more cream of coconut if needed for consistency, and beat well to combine. Frost cupcakes immediately, and store frosted cupcakes and leftover frosting in the refrigerator.

To decorate
1 14-oz. bag sweetened flake coconut (you may only need about half the bag)
A few drops green food coloring
Chocolate or other candy eggs

Place about half of the bag of coconut in a small bowl. Add 1-2 drops of green food coloring and stir until color is distributed. Add more food coloring if you want a darker/brighter color.

Once coconut is dyed, frost a few cupcakes generously and then use your fingers to press green coconut around the edges of the cupcake tops, leaving a small area in the center relatively coconut-free. Place three candy eggs in the center area of the cupcake to resemble a bird’s nest. Continue until all cupcakes are decorated, then store cupcakes in the refrigerator until about an hour before serving.