Extraordinary Easter Bunny Basket Cupcakes

Flavorful Madagascar Vanilla pairs with tart buttermilk in these delicious cupcakes. Topped with traditional Easter candy, these cute cupcakes will soon be everyone’s favorites!

Ingredients

• 2 cups

  cake flour

• 1 tablespoon
  

  baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon
  

  salt

• 2 cups
  

  sugar

• 4
  

  eggs

• 1 cup
  

  vegetable oil

• 1 cup
  

  buttermilk

• 2 teaspoons
  

  Madagascar Vanilla Extract

• Food coloring
  
  
• 1/2 cup
  

  butter

• One 8-ounce package
  

  cream cheese

• 2 cups
  

  confectioner’s sugar

• 1 teaspoon
  

  Madagascar Vanilla Extract

• food coloring
  
  
• 24
  

  Bunny Marshmallow Peeps

• 24
  

  Rainbow Twist Twizzlers

• Starburst Jelly Beans (if desired)

Directions

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together in a medium bowl. In a large bowl mix the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk and vanilla on low until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients until fully incorporated. Add a few drops of green food coloring until you get your desired color. Mix on medium for another 4 minutes or so in a stand mixer, or 8 minutes with a hand held mixer.

Grease a muffin pan and fill cups using a large scoop or spoon. (fill the cups about half-way) Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Use a cake tester to confirm the cupcakes are done. Continue until all the batter is used up.

When the cupcakes are all cooked, cool on cooling racks until completely cooled before decorating. Meanwhile cream the butter and cream cheese together with a stand mixer or a hand held. Add the confectioner’s sugar 1/4 cup at a time, until it is fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and whip until creamy. Add the food coloring in and stir by hand, making sure it is fully colored and there are no swirls of white.

Scoop into an icing decorator, or piping bag (available in the baking area of your local grocery store, or Micheals) with a large star tip.

Select a cupcake and place it in your decorating area. Chop the bottom off of a bunny Peep, creating a flat service for it to “sit” on. Pipe a bit of frosting on the bottom of the bunny, to glue it to the cupcake. Place on the center of the top of the cupcake. Take a brightly colored Twizzler and stick into the top of the cupcake, over the bunny, like a handle. If it starts to fall backwards or forwards, press more tightly into the cupcake.

Pipe the frosting immediately around the edges of the Twizzler. This helps glue it on. Continue to pipe the frosting in star shapes all over the top of the cupcake, to look like “Easter grass”. Continue with the rest of the cupcakes.

Store chilled up to two days. Best served within a few hours.