Skip The Frosting And Roll Your Cupcakes In Flaked Coconut Instead

Cupcakes piled high with frosting, sprinkles, and other candied goodies might be aesthetically pleasing at birthday parties — but when you want a dessert that's a little more laid back, skip the frosting entirely. Classic cupcakes undoubtedly have a time and place, but it's practically impossible to eat one without getting a major sugar rush. Luckily, there's no requirement saying you have to add frosting to make your dessert a cupcake. So if you're looking for a delicious alternative, try topping your little treats with coconut flakes instead.

This doesn't mean your dessert will end up completely dry, however — the flakes still need something to stick to, after all. But a thin layer of icing or jam and a generous roll of coconut will leave your treat with a lightly sweet, slightly tropical flavor, instead of the thick layer of sugary substance you may be used to. Plus, you'll get some extra texture in your cupcakes, and they'll end up much easier to transport if you're bringing them to parties or holiday celebrations.

Perhaps the most famous coconut-covered cupcake-like dessert is the Australian Lamington cake, which may have come to be because an Australian lord didn't want to get his fingers dirty after his maid dropped a treat in chocolate. If you want to mimic these desserts, spread a layer of chocolate icing on the base of your cupcakes before rolling them in the coconut flakes. But you don't have to stop at this flavor combination — you can also try using dark or white chocolate icing, melted chocolate chips, or any flavor of jam. If you want to branch out, you can also experiment with butterscotch, peanut butter, or mint-flavored chips. Or, pick another spread that you would use on toast, such as Nutella, speculoos, or marmalade. Because you're just dipping your desserts in different bowls of toppings, you don't have to worry about sticky fingers — just like Lord Lamington intended.   

One key step that will make this process a whole lot easier is to freeze your cakes for a little under an hour before adding any spread or coconut. You don't want a rock-hard base, but you do want it to be chilled enough that your Nutella or chocolate icing won't pull at the top of your cake. Then once they're all ready to go, let them come to room temperature before digging in.