I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for spring! But as we’re stuck in this bitter cold sunshine between winter and warmth, I’m not quite ready to start making full-on springtime foods. Instead, I dreamed up these colorful coconut raspberry cupcakes. For some reason they remind me of Dr. Zhivago. It must be the scene when Tonya wears that beautiful, furry white cloak and rides in the sleigh. She is so beautiful, and the cloak looks so warm and soft; winter doesn’t seem so bad for a moment.

That’s the way these cupcakes are.

The tart, sweet raspberries complement the subtle hint of coconut in an irresistibly moist and fluffy white cake. Topped with a blanket of coconut cream cheese frosting, a dusting of shredded coconut, and a sugar-coated fresh raspberry, these cupcakes will transport you to a place in heaven with every bite.

Even so, I still find room for improvement: I would like to try a lighter, sweeter frosting next time, as I think the cream cheese overwhelmed the coconut. And I’d like to try piping a dollop of vanilla pudding into the centers, but all in all these little cakes came out wonderfully.

I found the white cake recipe on Tender Crumb after searching on Foodgawker, my favorite food photo site. Tender Crumb blogger got the recipe from Sky High, Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes. I altered it ever so slightly by adding a tablespoon of coconut extract. It really is fantastic and would work just as well as the batter for a regular sized cake.

Tip: If a recipe makes a lot of cupcakes, freeze them! Once they cool, don’t ice them; just put them in freezer bags or Tupperware containers. They’ll keep for up to 3 months. When you’re ready for one, let it thaw out in room temperature or in the microwave. Then ice it, or my favorite — skip the icing and eat it with vanilla ice cream!

Recipe: Coconut raspberry cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

5 large egg whites
1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut extract
3 cups cake flour
2 1/3 cup sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter (8oz.) at warm room temperature
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups fresh, washed, and dried raspberries
2 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
24 fresh washed raspberries

1 lb cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 lb (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted