Fuzzy Bunny Butt Cupcakes | Easter Recipes
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♫ Here comes Peter Cottontail ♬ ♪ Hoppin’ down the bunny trail ♩ ♫ Hippity hoppin’, right into your cupcake! ♫
Finally, a fun challenge where I can bake! The last time I had this much fun with a dessert was when I made all of those Harry Potter themed cakes. With Easter literally hopping down the bunny trail next week, I had to do something sweet – as all my memories of Easter include baskets full of chocolate and candies.
While I don’t recall ever getting special Easter cupcakes in my childhood, I think I’ll be making these for my kids one day.
The best part about them?
They contain an Easter surprise… Nutella filling!
♫ Hippity hoppin’ Easter’s on its way! ♫
Here’s What Ya Need
Baking is all about creativity and experimentation when it comes to decoration, so don’t be afraid to put your own spin on the recipe and make it your own.
CUPCAKES:
- Flour: Provides structure and texture to the cupcakes.
- Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps with moisture retention.
- Baking soda: Helps the cupcakes rise.
- Baking powder: Acts as a leavening agent to make the cupcakes light and fluffy.
- Butter: Adds moisture and richness to the cupcakes.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and contribute to the structure.
- Milk: Provides moisture and helps create a tender texture.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances flavor.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Adds a rich chocolate flavor to the chocolate cupcakes.
- Salt: Enhances the overall flavor and balances the sweetness.
BUTTERCREAM FILLING & FROSTING:
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens the buttercream and contributes to its texture.
- Butter: Provides richness and a creamy consistency to the frosting.
- Vanilla extract: Adds flavor to the buttercream.
- Nutella: Used as a filling for some of the cupcakes, adding a delicious chocolate-hazelnut taste.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors and balances the sweetness.
- Green food coloring: Adds color to the buttercream, creating a grass-like appearance.
BUNNY FEET AND TAIL:
- White candy melts: Used to create the bunny feet.
- Pink candy melts: Used to decorate the bunny feet, adding color to the pads and toes.
- Mini marshmallows: Cut in half and used as bunny tails to add a cute detail to the cupcakes.
Hop to it!
Start by making the cupcake batter. Cream together the sugar and butter until smooth, then add the flour and milk in alternating 1/4 cup portions until the batter is thick and smooth.
To create super light and fluffy cupcakes, use the whipping attachment on your stand mixer. Just be careful not to overmix!
Next, remove about half of the vanilla batter and set it aside in a small bowl. Add cocoa powder to the remaining cupcake batter and mix on medium speed until it becomes nice and smooth.
I have special cupcake measuring spoons that I seriously do not know what I would do without when it comes to making the perfectly sized cupcake. The size I use here is about 1/8 cup.
If you don’t have a special cupcake measuring cup, just be sure not to fill the cupcake tins more than 2/3 full. I’m definitely guilty of this, so that’s why I find the cupcake measurer so handy!
Bake the cupcakes at 375°F for 20-30 minutes, or until the vanilla ones are just turning golden and there are nice deep “cook lines” on the tops.
For extra reassurance, poke a few in the center with a toothpick, and if it comes out clean, then the cupcakes are good to come out! Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a cooling rack until they reach room temperature, then place them in a large bag (or a bowl covered in foil) and toss them into the freezer for 5-8 hours.
This step is important because it will make using the melon baller sooooo much easier.
Once frozen, use a melon baller to scoop out the centers of the cupcakes. Place these centers into a bag or airtight container and freeze them until you’re ready to use them for decorating!
They are much easier to handle while still frozen.
Don’t worry about refreezing the rest of the cupcakes; those are good to bring back to room temperature as you prepare the icing and bunny feet.
Melt the white candies in a piping bag, then pipe what I like to refer to as “tall skinny ‘W’s'” on a silicone mat and let them set until completely dry.
Since at this point in the cooking process, I had been working on these cupcakes for 2 days straight between the cooking and freezing times, so I was getting a little tired and just wanted dessert. As a result, a lot of my bunny feet came out derpy.
Deliciously derpy.
Flip the feet over on the mat once they are completely dry and pipe little pads and toes on the smooth side. Again, let them dry completely as you make the icing.
Making the Icing
To begin, make sure your butter is at room temperature and cream it together with the sugar in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment; this combination will create a light and fluffy icing that adds a delightful texture to the cupcakes.
Next, fill a piping bag with about a cup of the buttercream icing and use it to fill the holes in the chocolate cupcakes, while for the vanilla cupcakes, fill them with indulgent Nutella for an extra surprise – or use both fillings if you’re feeling adventurous!
With the remaining icing, add some green food coloring and mix until you achieve your desired shade; then, pipe a “base layer” of green over the fillings to create a grass-like appearance on the cupcakes.
Carefully place the frozen cupcake holes on top of each cupcake, pressing them gently into the icing and surrounding them with more green icing to mimic the look of grass; if you don’t have a grass attachment for your icing kit, don’t worry, you can easily create the effect using star-shaped piping tips.
At this stage, your cupcakes may look a bit like fuzzy hats, but fear not, the final touches will transform them into adorable bunny butts!
It’s time to decorate!
Grab a pair of scissors and cut each mini marshmallow in half, then secure them onto the tops of the cupcake holes using some icing; these marshmallows will resemble cute fluffy tails.
For an extra festive touch, add bunny feet decorations, gummy carrots, and sprinkle some colorful sprinkles if you have them on hand – the more fun and whimsical, the better!
Now, it’s time to share your creation with all of your hungry friends! Serve these delightful Fuzzy Bunny Butt Cupcakes and watch as they bring smiles to everyone’s faces.
And there you have it. Fuzzy Bunny Butt Cupcakes!
Fuzzy Bunny Butt Cupcakes
Ingredients
FOR CUPCAKES:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
FOR BUTTERCREAM FILLING & FROSTING:
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup Nutella for filling
- pinch salt
- green food coloring
- 2-4 tablespoons caramel creamer or milk
FOR BUNNY FEET AND TAIL:
- 10 white candy melts
- 5 pink candy melts
- mini marshmallows cut in half, for tails
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line your cupcake tins with liners.
- Using a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Gradually add the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, alternating in 1/4 cup increments, until the batter reaches a thick yet smooth consistency. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Transfer half of the batter to another bowl and set it aside. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining batter in the mixer and beat until the chocolate is completely incorporated, scraping the sides as you go.
- Spoon the cupcake batter into each liner, filling them a little less than 2/3 full. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each cupcake comes out clean.
- Once cooked, let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack until they reach room temperature. Then, place them in a large baggie or airtight container and freeze for 5-8 hours.
- After the cupcakes have frozen, use a melon baller to scoop out the center of each cupcake. Place the cupcake holes into a separate baggie or container and return them to the freezer.
- Fill each cavity with either the buttercream icing (recipe follows) or Nutella. Cover each filled cavity with green icing.
- Remove the cupcake holes from the freezer and gently press one into the green icing on each cupcake. Use a piping bag with a grass or star tip to pipe icing around the cupcake hole, creating a grass-like texture.
- Take two matching candy feet (recipe follows) and press them into the icing on either side of the bunny butt. Place a gummy carrot on top.
- Cut each mini marshmallow in half and put a pea-sized bit of icing on the sticky end. Press them onto the bunny butt to create tails. Decorate with sprinkles, serve, and enjoy!
FOR FROSTING:
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and powdered sugar, adding one cup of powdered sugar at a time. Alternate between each cup with a teaspoon of caramel creamer. Reserve some frosting for filling the chocolate cupcakes.
- Add a pinch of salt and green food coloring. Blend on high speed until the icing reaches the desired color.
FOR FEET:
- Melt the candy melts and transfer each color to a separate plastic baggie. Snip off the corners of the baggies and pipe the white candies into the shape of bunny feet.
- Pipe the pink candy melts on top of the white candies, creating the pads and toes. Let the melts chill in the fridge for 5 minutes to set.
- Decorate the cupcakes with the bunny feet and place the halved mini marshmallows as tails on each cupcake.
