Please wait, the site is loading...

Bluebirds-in-a-nest cupcakes


Makes: 12
timePrep time: 1 hr, plus cooling
timeTotal time:
Bluebirds-in-a-nest cupcakes
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole

Bluebirds-in-a-nest cupcakes

Decorate these coconut cupcakes with cute bluebirds made from ready-to-roll icing

Makes: 12
timePrep time: 1 hr, plus cooling
timeTotal time:

Rate this recipe
Print Print
See more recipes

Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
567Kcal
Fat
29gr
Carbs
71gr
Sugars
55gr
Fibre
2gr
Protein
5gr
Salt
0.6gr

Tamsin Burnett-Hall

Tamsin Burnett-Hall

Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Tamsin Burnett-Hall

Tamsin Burnett-Hall

Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes

Ingredients

  • 50g desiccated coconut
  • 75g coconut oil or vegetable oil
  • 250g self-raising flour
  • 3⁄4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 125g caster sugar
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 150ml milk
  • 4 tbsp coconut cream
  • 1½ limes
  • 50g icing sugar, sifted
For the coconut cream icing
  • 125g soft unsalted butter
  • 250g icing sugar, sifted
  • 3 tbsp coconut cream
To decorate
  • blue food colouring gel or paste
  • 250g white ready-to-roll icing
  • a handful of sunflower seeds
  • black writing icing
  • 50g desiccated coconut

Step by step

Get ahead
The undecorated cupcakes can be frozen. The bluebirds can be made and stored in an airtight container, almost indefinitely. Once decorated, eat within 3 days.
  1. Put the 50g of desiccated coconut in a bowl and add 5 tablespoons of boiling water. Stir then leave to soak and soften while you make the cupcake mix. Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with deep paper cases. Melt the coconut oil and then let it cool.
  2. Sift the flour, bicarb, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Break the egg into a jug and beat lightly. Add the milk, coconut cream and oil; stir to combine. Add the grated zest of 1 lime, then stir in the soaked coconut. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine, making sure that you don't have any pockets of flour left, but don’t overmix or the cupcakes will end up tough.
  3. Divide between the cake cases (don’t over-fill) and bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and firm. While the cupcakes are cooking, zest the half lime into a bowl for the icing and set aside, then squeeze the juice from all the limes. Mix into the icing sugar in a small bowl. As soon as the cupcakes come out of the oven, prick the tops with a fork or cocktail stick, then brush this lime syrup on generously until it has all been used up. Leave to cool.
  4. Beat the butter for the icing with the lime zest and a pinch of salt until very soft and creamy. Gradually add the icing sugar; once it’s all incorporated, add the coconut cream and beat until the icing looks almost white.
  5. Knead a few drops of blue colouring gel or paste into the ready-to-roll icing until it is your desired shade of pale blue and evenly coloured. Using about 8g of blue icing for each bluebird, shape into little egg shapes, then flatten the base. Arrange on a tray lined with baking paper. You should make about 30 bluebirds. Press in sunflower seeds at the top of each one to make a beak, either a single seed or two arranged to look like an open beak. Add eyes using the black writing icing.
  6. Pipe a ring of icing on each cupcake to make the birds’ nests and scatter with desiccated coconut to add texture. Sit 2 or 3 bluebirds inside each nest.

You might also like...