Easy Cupcakes

Three bluebirds await their mama bird in a nest on this cupcake, which features toasted coconut.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; frosting tinted green; toasted coconut; 3 pastel blue M&Ms; food-safe markers.

How to Make It: Toast coconut for 5-10 minutes in 350-degree oven. Let cool. Frost cupcake green. Sprinkle center with coconut for nest. Use food-safe markers to draw eyes and beak on each M&M. Arrange birds in nest.

Toasted coconut provides the perfect texture for this lion cupcake. Make some for your next zoo or jungle party!

What You Need: 1 cupcake; yellow frosting; shredded coconut; 2 large yellow M&Ms; small pink candy; 2 brown mini M&Ms; black string licorice; scissors or knife.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Toast coconut (5-10 minutes in 350-degree oven). Once cooled, sprinkled coconut around perimeter of cupcake for mane. Add candy muzzle, nose and eyes. Cut licorice into four equal lengths for whiskers.

It’s 105 degrees where I live, so the thought of the beach sounds refreshing. I’d even go for a tropical island, if it came with a cool ocean breeze. These cupcakes are perfect for a beach party, Hawaiian luau or birthday party.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white or off-white frosting; toast coconut flakes; 2 banana candies (such as Runts); black food-safe marker; paper umbrella.

How to Make Them: Toast coconut by spreading on cookie sheet and baking in 350-degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes (be careful not to overcook!). Let cool. Frost cupcake. Use black food-safe marker to draw black lines and spots on bananas (optional). Sprinkle cupcake with coconut. Add bananas and umbrella.

Jazz up simple cupcakes by adding Valentine’s Day sprinkles to coconut! The combination makes for an attractive cupcake with taste and texture.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; pink frosting (I used Pillsbury’s canned Valentine’s Day frosting and it came with sprinkles in the lid); shredded coconut.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Sprinkle with coconut. Add Valentine sprinkles.