Easter Bunny Cupcakes are made with white cake mix, a sweet buttercream frosting, sprinkles and an adorable milk chocolate bunny on top.
I know it sounds crazy but Easter is less than a month away! Time to get the kids their Easter outfits, make some brunch plans and enjoy some Easter inspired desserts like these cute cupcakes. They really are the perfect addition to an Easter tablescape or family gathering.
Easter Bunny Cupcakes
Easter Bunny Cupcakes start with a box of white cake mix! So easy- just add some milk, butter and eggs to the mix to create a delicious, moist cupcake that tastes like it came from a bakery. The buttercream frosting is a butter/vegetable shortening blend to form a stable, pipable frosting so the “grass” has a lot of dimension and holds up.
Tips & Tricks
All About That Buttercream!
A pipable buttercream is very important to make perfect “grass”. The frosting should be stiff but not so much that it hurts your wrist to decorate with. I like to use the combination of butter and vegetable shortening to create that stiffness. Add the vanilla extract and then the confectioners sugar in increments until everything is combined. You should be left with a very thick frosting that will be needed thinning out. 1 teaspoon of water beat into the frosting should do this.
Easter Bunny Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 box cake mix
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 eggs
Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups confectioners sugar
- green food dye
- water
Garnish
- confetti sprinkles
- Lindt extra small chocolate bunnies
- Whopper Robin Egg chocolates
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place 1/2 cup softened butter into mixing bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to beat butter until creamy.
- Add cake mix, followed by milk and beat.
- Add eggs, one at a time.
- Place cupcake liners into muffin pan and fill each 3/4 full of cake batter.
- Cook for 15-18 minutes.
- Remove cupcakes from oven and let cool.
- Begin frosting. Place 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup vegetable shortening into a mixing bowl. Use a hand or stand mixer to beat until creamy.
- Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and the 4 cups of confectioners sugar into bowl in increments until fully blended.
- Add green food coloring until at desired color.
- Add a pinch of water if the frosting is too thick. Start with a teaspoon of water to thin it out but you want this frosting to be thick and pipable.
- Fill a pastry bag with the frosting with a #233 tip for grass. Decorate each cupcake.
- Add some confetti sprinkles and a chocolate bunny on each. You can even make some cupcakes with a couple Whopper Robin Eggs int he center instead of a bunny.
1 cup of butter seems like a lot of butter. That’s two sticks. Is this right?
1/2 cup, just one stick in the cupcake batter.
The chocolate bunny by Lindt is one of my secret obsessions, it’s so good. What a clever idea to use the miniature version as cupcake topper! Very cute!
These cupcakes are too adorable to eat, but boy would I devour them.
Eeek!! These are such cute cupcakes! I am going to have my oldest help me make these for Easter!
That would be fun Clair!
These cupcakes are so cute! I love the green frosting! Can’t wait to try!
The pop of green is so fun.
Oh my!! These are so adorable! I can’t wait to make them for Easter.
These cupcakes are too cute! Such a perfect treat with Easter right around the corner.