Double Rainbow Coconut Cupcakes–All The Way

We’ve all seen the YouTube video of the dude going totally ballistic over seeing a double rainbow, right? Well imagine having a BUNCH of people do that when you show up with these at your next party!

Marzipan rainbows are baked into the center of coconut cupcakes, topped with vanilla buttercream and even more coconut dyed in a rainbow of colors! This recipe makes 12 rainbow-filled cupcakes with enough batter left over to bake about 10 plain cupcakes. You can double the marzipan amount, though, if you want to make 22 rainbow-filled cupcakes (just know that it’s kind of pricey).

For the marzipan rainbows you’ll need:

2 7 oz. packages of marzipan
food coloring (gel or liquid, your choice) 

For the cupcakes you’ll need:

1 ½ stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
1 c. cream of coconut
1 c. toasted coconut
2 ½ c. flour
1 1/3 c. whole milk 

For the buttercream and topping you’ll need:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 c. powdered sugar
1 ½ c. coconut
food coloring

Directions:

First, make the marzipan rainbows. It’s easy! Time consuming, but easy. Here’s how to do it:

1. Split the marzipan into six equal parts.

2. Dye the marzipan the colors of the rainbow (or whatever colors you want–be a rebel, they’re your cupcakes).

3. Roll each color into a ball, and then one by one, roll them out into snakes, flattening them into thin strips about 12 inches long and 2 inches wide, stacking the colors on top of each other as you go. (If the dough gets a little sticky, sprinkle some powdered sugar on your working surface and/or hands.)

4. Once you’ve done that with all the colors, you’ll have a long rainbow! Trim the edges to clean it up, and then chop it up into bite-sized pieces.

Magic! Stick the rainbow pieces in the fridge while you make the batter. First, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees (F). 

Cream together the butter and the sugar on med-high speed until fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Then, with the mixer on low, add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, to make sure everything is getting well combined. Add the cream of coconut, and then add the flour and milk, alternating between the two ingredients. Lastly, stir in the toasted coconut. 

Put 2 heaping tablespoons of batter into 12 paper-lined cupcake tins. Put a rainbow in each tin, gently pressing it into the batter (gently–it shouldn’t go to the bottom). Top a little more batter–just enough to cover the marzipan.

Bake the cupcakes for about 25 minutes, until the cake is set and turning golden brown on the top and sides. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting them.

To make the buttercream, whip together the powdered sugar and butter. Add a splash of milk if it’s too thick. For the rainbow coconut, divide the coconut into six equal parts and dye them the desired colors with the food coloring (start with one drop, work your way up–a little goes a long way). Frost each cupcake with the buttercream, and then sprinkle on stripes of the dyed coconut.

Even more magic!