Dolly Parton's Butterfly Coconut Cupcakes Recipe Is Exactly What You'd Expect — Sweetness and Love In Every Bite

Cameron Jones
·2 min read
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If you're planning to host friends or family for an Easter gathering or spring brunch, playful dessert recipes are a great way to channel the spirit of the season. You can't go wrong with cheery cupcakes topped with confetti sprinkles. Even better? When they're made from a cupcake recipe developed in Dolly Parton's kitchen!

Dolly's Butterfly Coconut Cupcakes use her Duncan Hines® Southern Style Coconut Cake Mix and Creamy Buttercream Frosting to make a treat that's just as sweet, joyous, and colorful as the legend herself. The garnish on these cupcakes may look fancy, but they're surprisingly easy to make — simply use candy melts or white chocolate chips. Form the melts into butterfly shapes and top with rainbow sprinkles, and you have delightful cupcakes that are Dolly-approved.

Butterfly Coconut Cupcakes

Ingredients (Serves 24):

  • 1 (15.25-ounce) package Duncan Hines® Dolly Parton’s Southern Style Coconut Cake Mix

  • 1 cup milk

  • 4 eggs

  • ½ cup butter, melted

  • ½ cup white candy melts or white chocolate chips

  • Bright pink, purple, and teal decorating sugars

  • ⅔ cup brightly colored confetti sprinkles

  • 2 (16-ounce) containers Duncan Hines® Dolly Parton’s Creamy Buttercream Frosting

Instructions:

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners. On low speed, beat cake mix with milk, eggs, and butter until blended, about 30 seconds; on medium, beat until fluffy, 2 minutes. Divide batter among liners. Bake until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 16–19 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Transfer from pans to rack; let cool.

  2. On white paper, print or draw 24 small butterflies (about 1 ½ inches wide). Place paper on baking sheet; cover with wax paper. In microwave-safe bowl, microwave white chocolate or candy melts in 15-second intervals, stirring, until melted. Transfer to freezer bag. Snip small hole from corner of bag. Trace and fill in wings. Sprinkle with decorating sugars. Chill 15 minutes.

  3. Spread confetti sprinkles on plate. Reserve ½ cup frosting. Spread remaining frosting over cupcakes; dip tops of cupcakes in sprinkles. Transfer reserved frosting to freezer bag; snip small hole from corner. Pipe dollop of frosting over each cupcake. If needed, break wings in two; insert into frosting.

Cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles and butterfly garnish
Courtesy of Dolly Parton

A version of this article originally appeared in our print magazine, Woman's World.