Pre-heat your oven to 140C Fan/325F/Gas Mark 3 and line a cupcake tin with yellow cupcake cases
For the cupcakes, mix the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl, ideally with an hand held electric mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, for exactly 5 minutes
Add the eggs and vanilla, and whisk them in
Then gently fold or whisk in the self raising flour
Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases and bake for 25-30 minutes until risen, golden or until a thin skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, then remove from the cupcake tin and put them on a rack to cool fully
To colour the desiccated coconut, put it into a mixing bolwl. Then mix two or three blobs/drops of food colouring (depending on strength) with 1 ½ tbsp water in a small cup, then pour it into the coconut and mix in. Add more if it doesn't go as yellow as you want
To make the buttercream, mix together the butter and icing sugar, ideally with an electric mixer, when it starts to come together, add the vanilla and mix until smooth. If the buttercream is too stiff then you can add some milk to it
Using a palette knife, spread some of the buttercream out onto the top of one of the fully cooled cupcakes
Dip the frosted side of the cake into the bowl of yellow coconut flakes, and press firmly until fully coated. Add extra with a spoon if needed, pressing the coconut into the buttercream, and shake off any excess
Then add the fondant decorations, using a little buttercream spread thinly on the back of them, to glue them down
Keep in a cool place, and eat leftovers within 3 days