Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream

My dad asked me to bake him some cupcakes using coconut as he really likes it and this is what I came up with. Its a dark chocolate cupcake with morello cherry jam, topped with toasted coconut buttercream, toasted coconut shavings and a glacé cherry. I thought about making coconut cupcakes but whenever I had tried them before they were too dry, so by having the coconut in the buttercream it stays moist and keeps it flavour. The cupcake recipe is a Nigella recipe, I usually have successes with Nigella's recipes and love how indulgent she makes food, especially her cakes. I love my new cupcake stand, my parents bought me it for my birthday :).

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes 

125 grams unsalted butter (soft)

100 grams dark chocolate (broken into pieces)
300 grams Morello Cherry Jam
150 grams caster sugar
1pinch of salt
2 large eggs (beaten)
150 grams self-raising flour

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4.
2. Put the butter in a pan on medium heat to melt. When nearly completely melted, stir in the chocolate. Leave for a moment to begin softening, then take the pan off the heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the butter and chocolate are smooth and melted. Now add the cherry jam, sugar, salt and eggs. Stir with a wooden spoon and when all is pretty well mixed stir in the flour.
3. Scrape and pour into the muffin papers in their tin and bake for 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before turning out.

Coconut Buttercream

(For best results use a hand mixer or free standing mixer. If you have neither of these, you may need to beat the mixture a little longer to achieve a thick consistency for piping.)

110 grams butter

1/4 tsp of salt (if using unsalted butter)

250 grams icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

50 grams toasted coconut

2-3 tbsp whipping cream

Additional 50 grams toasted coconut for topping

12 glacé cherries (or one for each cupcake you managed to make)

1. In a bowl beat the butter until it is smooth, add the salt if you are using it. 
2. Add half of the icing sugar a quarter at a time, beating after each addition. 
3. Add vanilla and toasted coconut.
4. Add one tbsp of whipping cream and continue beating. 
5. Add remaining icing sugar a quarter at a time while beating. Add cream and beat until you achieve the consistency you want for piping.
6. Pipe onto the cupcakes however you would like or use a spatula to spread onto the cupcakes. Roll the buttercream in the left over toasted coconut for extra taste, decoration and texture. Place a glacé cherry on top to finish the cupcakes off.