You know that feeling when Easter is just around the corner? The panic starts to creep in. You want to make something cute and festive, but every recipe looks like it needs a degree in engineering.
Well, I’m here to tell you to take a deep breath. We’re going to make the cutest darn Easter cupcakes you’ve ever seen, and you won’t need any fancy tools or skills. Seriously.
These are my “Bunny Butt” cupcakes. They look impressive, but they’re secretly super easy. By the end of this, you’ll have a whole batch of adorable treats that will make everyone smile.
What You’ll Need
I’ve broken this down into three parts: the cupcakes, the frosting, and the super fun decorations. Don’t let the list scare you; it’s mostly stuff you probably already have in your pantry.
First up, the vanilla cupcakes. This is my go-to recipe because it’s basically foolproof. It comes out moist and perfect every single time.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 2 ½ cups |
| Baking powder | 2 ½ teaspoons |
| Salt | ½ teaspoon |
| Unsalted butter | 1 cup (2 sticks) |
| Granulated sugar | 2 cups |
| Large eggs | 4 of them |
| Vanilla extract | 1 tablespoon |
| Whole milk | 1 cup |
Next is the cream cheese frosting. You have to use the full-fat, block-style cream cheese. The stuff in the tub is too soft and will give you a soupy mess. Trust me on this one.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cream cheese | 8 ounces |
| Unsalted butter | ½ cup (1 stick) |
| Powdered sugar | 4 cups |
| Vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon |
| Green food coloring | A few drops |
And now for the best part—turning them into little bunny butts digging in the grass! It’s way easier than it sounds.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Shredded coconut | 1 cup |
| Large marshmallows | 12 of them |
| Pink sanding sugar | ¼ cup |
| Small pink candies | 24 (like jelly beans) |
| White round sprinkles | 36 (for the toes) |
The Tools for the Job
You don’t need a professional kitchen setup. Here’s the basic gear that will make your life easier.
- Cupcake Pan: A standard 12-cup muffin tin is perfect.
- Cupcake Liners: Any color works, but green or pastel ones look extra festive.
- Mixing Bowls: You’ll want at least one big one for the batter and a medium one for the frosting.
- Electric Mixer: A stand mixer is great, but a hand mixer works just fine. You can even do it by hand if you want an arm workout.
- Measuring Cups & Spoons: The key to good baking is being precise!
- Piping Bag & Grass Tip: This is what makes the “grass” frosting. A Wilton #233 tip is the one you want. If you don’t have one, don’t worry, I have a workaround for you.
- Kitchen Scissors: You’ll need these for the marshmallow bunny feet.
Let’s Make Some Bunny Butt Cupcakes!
Alright, let’s get into it. Just follow along, and you’ll be golden. We’ll do this in three main stages: baking, frosting, and decorating.
H3: Making the Cupcakes
This is the foundation of our whole project. A good cupcake makes all the difference.
Step 1: First thing’s first, get your oven preheating to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with your cupcake liners. This step seems boring, but it’s important to get it done now so you’re not scrambling later.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients. That’s the 2 ½ cups of flour, 2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Just give it a quick mix to combine everything.
Step 3: Now, grab your big mixing bowl. Cream together the 1 cup of softened butter and 2 cups of sugar. With an electric mixer, beat them on medium-high speed for about 3-4 minutes until it looks pale and fluffy. (If your butter isn’t soft, you can microwave it for 10-15 seconds, but don’t melt it!).
Step 4: Add your 4 eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything gets mixed in. Then, add your 1 tablespoon of vanilla and mix again.
Step 5: Here’s the important part. You’re going to alternate adding the dry mixture and the 1 cup of milk. Start with about a third of the flour mixture, mix on low until it’s just combined. Then add half the milk, mix. Repeat until it’s all in there, ending with the dry ingredients. (The pattern is: dry, wet, dry, wet, dry).
Step 6: Do not overmix the batter! The second you don’t see any more flour streaks, stop. Overmixing makes tough, dry cupcakes, and nobody wants that. A few small lumps are totally fine.
Step 7: Carefully fill your cupcake liners about two-thirds full. A standard ice cream scoop is the perfect tool for this—it gives you the same amount of batter every time.
Step 8: Bake for 18-22 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. (They must be 100% cool before you even think about frosting them).
H3: Whipping Up the Cream Cheese Frosting
While the cupcakes are cooling, we can make the “grass” for our bunnies to dig in.
Step 1: Make sure your cream cheese and butter are both at room temperature. This is not a suggestion, it’s a rule! If they’re cold, your frosting will be lumpy.
Step 2: In your mixing bowl, beat the 8 ounces of cream cheese and ½ cup of butter together on medium speed until it’s smooth and creamy. This usually takes about 2 minutes.
Step 3: Slowly add the 4 cups of powdered sugar, one cup at a time, with the mixer on low. If you add it all at once, you’ll have a sugar cloud all over your kitchen. Once all the sugar is in, add the 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
Step 4: Turn the mixer up to medium-high and beat for another 2-3 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Step 5: Now for the color. Add a few drops of green food coloring and mix on low until you get a nice, grassy green color. Add more drops if you want a deeper color.
H3: The Fun Part: Decorating Your Bunny Butts
This is where the magic happens. Your cupcakes should be completely cool now.
Step 1: Let’s make the bunny feet first. Take a large marshmallow and, using your kitchen scissors, cut it in half diagonally. The sticky, cut side is what we’ll use.
Step 2: Pour your pink sanding sugar onto a small plate. Take one of the marshmallow halves and press the sticky side into the sugar. This creates the pink pad of the bunny’s foot.
Step 3: Use a tiny bit of leftover frosting (or a dab of water) to “glue” on the other parts of the foot. Place one small pink candy in the middle for the main pad and three little white round sprinkles above it for the toes. Set the finished foot aside and repeat for all 24 feet.
Step 4: Time to make the grass. Put your frosting into a piping bag fitted with that special grass tip (Wilton #233). Squeeze a patch of “grass” onto the top of each cupcake. Don’t cover the whole thing—leave some space.
Step 5: Now let’s make the “dirt” the bunny is digging in. You can use crushed Oreo cookies (without the cream filling) or chocolate sprinkles. Sprinkle this onto the part of the cupcake you didn’t cover with grass.
Step 6: For the bunny tail, just stick a whole large marshmallow right in the center of the dirt patch.
Step 7: Finally, place two of your cute marshmallow bunny feet right behind the tail, so it looks like the bunny is diving headfirst into the cupcake. And that’s it! You’ve made a bunny butt cupcake.
My Pro Tips (Don’t Skip These!)
I’ve made a lot of cupcakes in my day, and I’ve learned a few things the hard way. Here are some secrets to help you get it right on the first try.
- Room Temperature is King: I mentioned this before, but it’s the single most important tip. Your butter, eggs, and milk for the cupcakes, and the butter and cream cheese for the frosting, must be at room temperature. It helps everything mix together smoothly into a beautiful, uniform batter. Cold ingredients can make your batter curdle and your frosting lumpy.
- The Ice Cream Scoop Trick: Want all your cupcakes to be the exact same size and bake evenly? Use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop to portion out the batter. It’s fast, it’s clean, and it guarantees consistency. No more guessing.
- Don’t Have a Grass Tip? No Problem!: If you can’t find a grass piping tip, you can still make these look great. Just tint your frosting green, spread it on the cupcake with a knife, and then dip the whole frosted top into a bowl of green-tinted shredded coconut. It gives a great grassy texture. To tint coconut, just put it in a zip-top bag with a few drops of green food coloring and shake it up.
- Cool Completely, I Mean It: I know it’s tempting to frost warm cupcakes, but please don’t. The heat will melt your beautiful frosting into a sad, soupy puddle that slides right off. Be patient! Let them cool on a wire rack for at least an hour.
Swaps and Fun Variations
Once you have the basic idea down, you can get creative with it. These cupcakes are super versatile.
- Change the Cake Flavor: Not a vanilla fan? This recipe works great with a chocolate cupcake base for a “muddy” patch, or even a carrot cake base to really stick with the bunny theme.
- Gluten-Free Option: You can easily swap the all-purpose flour for a good quality “cup-for-cup” or “1-to-1” gluten-free baking flour blend. I’ve had great results with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1.
- Different “Dirt”: If you don’t want to use crushed cookies, you can use chocolate jimmies, brown sugar, or even just chocolate frosting for the dirt patch.
- Get Creative with Feet: No pink candies? A small dab of pink frosting works just as well for the foot pads. You can even draw them on with an edible ink marker.
Can I Make These Ahead of Time?
Yes, you absolutely can! Easter can be a busy day, so prepping ahead is a lifesaver.
You can bake the cupcakes up to two days in advance. Just let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Don’t store them in the fridge, as it can dry them out.
The cream cheese frosting can also be made up to three days ahead. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Before you use it, let it sit out on the counter for about 30 minutes to soften up, then give it a quick whip with your mixer to make it fluffy again.
I’d recommend decorating them the day you plan to serve them for the best results, as the marshmallows can get a little stale if they sit out for too long.
Storing Your Cute Creations
If you happen to have any leftovers (which is rare!), you’ll want to store them properly.
Because of the cream cheese frosting, these cupcakes need to be kept in the refrigerator. Store them in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. The container is important to keep them from drying out and absorbing any weird fridge smells.
When you’re ready to eat one, you can let it sit out for about 15-20 minutes to take the chill off. I think they taste best when they aren’t ice-cold.
Frequently Asked Questions (You Asked, I Answered)
Q1. My frosting seems too soft. What did I do wrong?
Ans: This usually happens if your butter or cream cheese was too warm, or if you used tub-style cream cheese. You can try chilling the frosting in the fridge for 30 minutes to help it firm up.
Q2. Can I use a different type of frosting?
Ans: Of course! A classic American buttercream would also work perfectly for this. It will just have a sweeter, less tangy flavor than the cream cheese frosting.
Q3. My cupcakes came out dry. Why?
Ans: The two most common reasons for dry cupcakes are overmixing the batter or overbaking them. Mix only until the flour disappears, and start checking for doneness at the 18-minute mark.
Q4. Where can I find a grass piping tip?
Ans: You can find them at most craft stores that have a baking section, like Michaels or Jo-Ann, or you can easily order one online. Look for the Wilton #233 tip.
Wrapping Up
See? That wasn’t so bad, was it? You now have a super fun, totally adorable recipe that is perfect for any Easter gathering, bake sale, or just a Tuesday afternoon when you need a smile.
The best part about these is seeing people’s reactions. They look so special, but you’ll know the secret is just a few simple steps and some marshmallows.
Now it’s your turn. Give these a try! I’d love to hear how they turn out for you. If you have any questions along the way or if you come up with a fun new variation, drop a comment below. I read every single one. Happy baking
