Our variation of Bunny Cupcakes make a fun Easter dessert as much as they do a dessert for spring festivities, like picnics, birthday parties and Mother's Day. All you need to make these easy bunny cupcakes is a box of cake mix, the simple ingredients for our homemade buttercream frosting and some candy decorations.
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These delicious Bunny Cupcakes are so fun to make with the kids! They are a cute idea for Easter dessert but fit any spring celebration or rabbit themed party. They are the vanilla version of our chocolate Easter cupcakes. We love making them for Easter with a sugary candy grazing board, chocolate covered strawberries that look like carrots and egg hunt pudding cups. This bunny shaped vegetable snack board is also a cute way to celebrate the holiday.
Ingredients and Supplies Needed
Cupcake Ingredients
If you're going the quick and easy route, all you need is a box of white or vanilla cake mix, plus the eggs and oil that the box calls for. If you'd like to use a homemade cupcake batter you'll need all-purpose flour, baking soda, butter, white sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla extract and salt.
Frosting Ingredients
Our recipe makes an absolutely delicious, can't stop licking the whisk, frosting that's like a combination of cream cheese icing and buttercream icing. You'll need softened cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to make it.
Decorating Supplies
To turn your plain vanilla cupcakes into cute little Easter bunnies, you'll need sweetened coconut flakes, these candy bunny ears, candy heart sprinkles or pink jelly beans for the nose, and licorice twists for the whiskers. I use and love these pink foil cupcake liners. They hold their shape without wrinkling and are durable. I have them in almost every color! To frost the cupcakes, I use this piping bag with one of the star shaped tips.
Tips from the Chef
- I always spray my cupcakes liners with a bit of oil to be absolutely sure the cupcakes don't stick. It works like a charm and I suggest you do too!
- You can make eyes using black writing icing or candy eyes. I thought the candy eyes made the bunnies look a little goofy, and the writing icing is hard to work with on top of the coconut shreds. I thought the bunny cupcakes were cute enough without eyes so didn't fuss over it.
How To Make Bunny Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ahrenheit. Line the muffin tin with pink cupcake liners. Spray the liners lightly with oil.
- If using a cake mix package, make the batter according to the package instructions. To make the homemade cupcakes, beat the white sugar and softened butter on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Beat for another 2 minutes, then add the all-purpose flours, baking powder and salt. Beat until just combined, about 30-60 seconds.
- Pour the cupcake batter into the prepared liners, filling the cups about ⅔. Bake in the preheated for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the oven and let cool completely before frosting and decorating.
- While cupcakes cool make the frosting. Beat the softened butter, softened cream cheese, and vanilla extract on medium speed until smooth. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, continuing to beat until smooth. Transfer the icing to the piping bag.
- Frost cupcakes in the pattern you'd like. Alternatively, use a knife to spread on icing. Sprinkle with shredded coconut flakes. Create a bunny face by inserting 2 candy ears into the icing, then placing a jelly bean or heart as a nose. Peel apart the licorice twists and place on the frosting in the place of whiskers.
And that's it! Enjoy your tasty bunny cupcakes!
Recipe FAQs
Store cupcakes in a covered cupcake container like this, in a plastic cake holder or another plate or dish covered with tented foil. They must be stored in the fridge until ready to serve and will keep for 3-5.
If you'd prefer chocolate bunny cupcakes, use a chocolate cake mix and add 4/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder to the frosting.
Recipe
Easter Bunny Cupcakes
Equipment
- 1 standard size muffin tin
- 12 pink cupcake liners
- electric hand mixer
- piping bag
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix, or homemade cupcake batter (see below)
Homemade Cupcakes
Frosting
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Decorating Candy
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 24 candy bunny ears
- 12 pink jelly beans, or jumbo candy heart sprinkles
- 3 licorice wheels, cut into ½ inch pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line the muffin tin with pink cupcake liners. Spray the liners lightly with oil.
- If using a cake mix package, make the batter according to the package instructions. To make the homemade cupcakes, beat the white sugar and softened butter on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Beat for another 2 minutes, then add the all-purpose flours, baking powder and salt. Beat until just combined, about 30-60 seconds.
- Pour the cupcake batter into the prepared liners, filling the cups about ⅔. Bake in the preheated for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the oven and let cool completely before frosting and decorating.
- While cupcakes cool make the frosting. Beat the softened butter, softened cream cheese, and vanilla extract on medium speed until smooth. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, continuing to beat until smooth. Transfer the icing to the piping bag.
- Frost cupcakes in the pattern you'd like. Alternatively, use a knife to spread on icing. Sprinkle with shredded coconut flakes. Create a bunny face by inserting 2 candy ears into the icing, then placing a jelly bean or heart as a nose. Peel apart the licorice twists and place on the frosting in the place of whiskers.
- Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Cathleen says
These cupcakes are so cute!! I am so excited to try this, thank you so much for sharing the recipe 🙂
Lisa says
These cupcakes are so adorable! And cream cheese frosting is my favorite. Perfect for Easter dessert even for adults!
Colleen says
These bunny cupcakes are so adorable. I know my grandkids are going to love them. Thank you.
Mikayla says
My kiddos loved making these with me, they liked making a rainbow of bunny cakes with different color noses.
Jacqueline Debono says
These cupcakes are so easy and fun to make. Delicious too. I've just put a batch in the fridge for Sunday (Easter Sunday). I hope they won't have disappeared by then!
Leslie says
I am so glad you included links to the supplies because those bunny ears are just too cute! I love this recipe for Easter!
DK says
Yes - these are what we are gonna make for mother's day this year! As soon as I showed my daughter these images, she was super excited to make these! Thanks for the recipe!
Amy Liu Dong says
It looks adorable the colors, style, and presentation makes it an eye-catcher especially for the children. This too will be a great Easter sunday snack!
Lauren says
Made these little bunny cupcakes for Easter tomorrow and they turned out so cute! The kids are already begging me to let them have them early!
Sharon says
I made these adorable bunny cupcakes for my daughter's Easter party at school, and they were a huge hit!
Veronika says
These were adorable and so easy to make! The kids loved these! Cream cheese frosting is my favorite, it makes it so creamy.