Here are some adorable cupcake ideas for Easter. These cupcakes are super easy to make and will be a hit at your gathering!
I enjoy making cupcakes for the holidays rather than a cake for simplicity. No need to cut slices or have plates and fork for each person and best of all, less dishes to clean up!
Nothing too complicated with the vanilla cupcake recipe, frosting or decorations and no need for a piping bag or any special equipment.
For the Easter chicks, I used coconut flakes with yellow food coloring and added chocolate chips for the eyes and red twizzlers for the beaks.
For the Easter basket, I used coconut flakes with green food coloring for the grass and added twizzlers for the handle with jelly beans for the eggs.
Have fun and use peeps or any other Easter themed decorations!
Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
Makes 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter (softened, room temperature)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs (room temperature)
1/4 cup sour cream (room temperature)
1/2 cup milk (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Buttercream Frosting
2 sticks (1 cup) of butter (softened, room temperature)
1 lb of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 Tablespoons milk
Decorations
Coconut flakes
yellow food coloring for chicks
chocolate chips for eyes
gum drops or twizzlers for beaks
green food coloring for grass
twizzlers for basket handle
Decorations: jelly beans and peeps
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until combined, scraping the down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add eggs one at a time and mix together. Add sour cream. Measure milk in a cup and add vanilla into the cup.
Add in half of the flour mixture and half of the milk and beat to combine. Add in remaining flour and milk and beat just until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Divide the batter evenly into cupcake liners.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for few minutes then transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before frosting.
Meanwhile, make the frosting and color coconut flakes.
Frosting
In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer. Add in powdered sugar, vanilla and milk and beat until light and fluffy.
Decorations
To color the coconut flakes, you can use a resealable sandwich bag / plastic bag to mix in food coloring or add coconut flakes to a bowl and mix together using a spoon
For the chicks
Place coconut in resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add a few drops of yellow food coloring; seal bag and shake to mix. Rub together until the food coloring is mixed with the coconut. Add a few more drops of food coloring, if needed, to get desired color.
Frost cupcakes with frosting and top with yellow coconut. For eyes, add chocolate chips. Cut twizzlers or gumdrops to look like beaks.
For the basket/ grass
Place coconut in resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add a few drops of green food coloring; seal bag and shake to mix. Rub together until the food coloring is mixed with the coconut. Add a few more drops of food coloring, if needed, to get desired color.
Frost cupcakes with frosting and top with green coconut for the grass. Insert twizzler into the cupcake for the basket handle. Add jelly beans for eggs.