I still can't believe it's Easter weekend already–though winter drags, time sure does fly. I like to think of anything involving coconut (food, drinks, suntan lotion) as super spring/summery, so I thought these light and fluffy cupcakes that have the shredded white stuff inside and out would be a perfect holiday treat. They're vegan (though I'm not), which means no eggs, milk or butter are involved in their creation. To make them even more festive I enacted a decoration I first spotted on Pinterest: using this set of rabbit silhouettes, I traced outlines on plain white paper, affixed the cut-out forms to toothpicks with tape, and centered them on each one from the batch. Welcome spring–we've been expecting you.

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Cake:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup coconut milk 
1/2 cup oil 
1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar 

Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar 
2 tablespoon coconut milk (or water) 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with paper liners, set aside. 
2. Sift together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients. 
3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and whisk until just combined, being careful not to over-mix. Fold in 1 cup of unsweetened coconut. 
4. Fill each muffin tin about two-thirds full. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the muffin tin and place on a cooling rack.
5. Mix all icing ingredients until smooth and spreadable. Frost when the cupcakes have completely cooled, sprinkling additional unsweetened coconut on top.