Easter Cupcakes

For an Easter neighborhood or family get together make some of these fun cupcakes. Your children or grandchildren will love them or will love to help make them!

Easter Basket Cupcakes

• Make your favorite cupcake recipe or use a cake mix. 

• Make one recipe of your favorite frosting or use canned frosting.

• Frost the cupcakes with white frosting and decorate with colored coconut flakes to make the grass. Add jelly beans or your favorite Easter egg candies. Enjoy!

*To make coconut grass: place desired amount of coconut in a zip-lock bag and add a few drops of green food coloring mix and shake coconut in bag until coconut turns green. It's that easy! Give it a try!

Bunny Cupcakes

• Make cupcakes and frosting.
• Add food coloring to the frosting to make whatever color bunny you would like (pink, yellow, etc.)
• Frost cupcakes making a little design for the mouth or use cake decorating tip to make mouth. 
• Cut a small gum drop in half for the nose.
• Use two chocolate chips for the eyes.
• Two chick peeps for the ears. (I had to cut the heads off and use a tooth pick to help them stay on. They are turned upside down.) 

Have fun! and Happy Easter!

Cupcakes- Stake R.S. Dinner- Sept. 2010

*The Citrus,Coconut,and Vanilla Cupcakes are from the kitchen of Amy Johnson- 4th Ward. Thanks Amy!

CITRUS CUPCAKES

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cups sugar

½ cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sour cream

Zest of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 lime

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla, zests, and sour cream and beat until smooth. Finally, sift the dry ingredients directly into the bowl and mix well on a low-medium speed. Spoon the batter into muffin tin lined with papers. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool on a rack. Frost with Citrus Frosting.

Makes 16 cupcakes.

CITRUS FROSTING

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

½ cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons lime juice

With the mixer, combine 1 cup of sugar with the butter and cream cheese. Beat until very smooth. Next, add the rest of the sugar and salt and beat until smooth. Finally, add the citrus juices and beat on medium speed for two minutes or so.

From the Sara Voortmeyer

COCONUT CUPCAKES

¾ pound butter at room temperature

2 cups sugar

5 eggs

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ teaspoon almond extract

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

14 ounces shredded coconut

Cream Cheese Icing

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and extracts. Add blended dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk; fold in half of the coconut. Fill muffin tins with batter; bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes; remove to rack and cool completely. Frost with icing and sprinkle with remaining coconut. Makes about two dozen cupcakes.

CREAM CHEESE ICING

1 pound cream cheese at room temperature

¾ pound butter at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon almond extract

1 ½ pounds powdered sugar

Blend until smooth and frost.

From Barefoot Contessa

TRADITIONAL VANILLA CUPCAKES

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, at room temperature

1 ½ cups self-rising flour

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream butter until smooth, add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour and add in four parts, alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Scoop into prepared pans; bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Makes 2 dozen cupcakes.

From The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM ICING

1 cup butter, softened

8 cups powdered sugar

½ cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Blend until spreading consistency.

From The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

CHOCOLATE DEVIL'S FOOD CUPCAKES

from the kitchen of Amy Knight- 4th Ward

¾ c. boiling water

¾ c. cocoa powder

6 oz. of butter

2 c. sugar

1 t. salt

1 t. vanilla extract

3 eggs

2 ½ c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1 c. buttermilk

Ganache, (recipe follows)

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together boiling water and cocoa. Cover and set aside. With a mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue creaming until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder and add this mixture, alternately with the buttermilk. Add cocoa and water mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Fill each cupcake paper 1/3 full, and then place a tablespoon of Ganache on top of the batter and cover Ganache with another layer of batter. Do not overfill cupcakes. Total batter and Ganache should only fill the cupcake papers 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Let cool completely before frosting with Chocolate Butter-cream Frosting.

Ganache:

8 oz. chocolate

¾ cup heavy cream

2 T. sugar

2 T. butter

Chop chocolate and place in a stainless steel or glass bowl. Bring cream and sugar just to a boil in a small saucepan and then pour over chocolate. Whisk together and then stir in butter until melted and Ganache is smooth.

From: Martin Howard, New York, NY, Food Network

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1/4 c. (1/2 cube) butter, softened

2 T. milk

1 t. vanilla

2-4 T. baking cocoa

2 c. powdered sugar

Mix with an electric mixer until well blended and a good spreading consistency.