Easy Cupcakes

For a fun Easter cupcake, perch a Peep among a patch of cute carrots. I got the idea for the carrots from a Wilton design, but swapped out the candy bunny for a marshmallow Peep.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; green frosting; 1 marshmallow Peep bunny; 5 to 7 candy corn pieces; green icing in tube with leaf tip attachment, or pastry bag with leaf tip and coupler attached.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake green. It’s easiest to arrange the candy corn first. Then, use leaf tip to squeeze small amount of green icing on wide part of candy corn for stems. Cut Peep at about the neckline (ouch!) and place near front of cupcake as shown.

I combined ideas from a few different Easter bunny cupcake designs I’d seen online and in magazines to make this cupcake, who has two unusual features: pretzel whiskers and paper ears. For best results, insert the paper ears just before serving.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; pink frosting; 4 stick pretzels; 1 red jellybean; mini blue M&Ms; pink cardstock; scissors.

How to Make It: frost cupcake. Place red jellybean in center for nose. Add blue eyes directly above nose. Break or cut off a bit of pretzel ends if you think they’re too long (I did). Cut ear shapes, both at once, from pink cardstock, fold slightly and insert between cupcake and paper liner.

I got this Easter cupcake idea from the Reynolds company’s Web site (Besides foil, they make cupcake liners). Try it with carrot cake!

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white (or cream cheese) frosting; 6 orange jelly beans; shredded coconut; green food coloring.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. In bowl or cup, use food coloring to tint coconut green. Arrange jellybeans in triangle shape to form carrot. Sprinkle coconut at the wide top for leaves.

Use jellybeans and a round candy to arrange a spring flower and finish it off with piped leaves.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; green frosting; 6 yellow (or any color) jellybeans; 1 orange (or any color) candy for center (I used a Runt); pastry bag and leaf tip, or tubed icing with leaf tip.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake white. Arrange 6 jellybeans around center candy to form flower shape. Add green leaves.

Planning a party for St. Paddy’s Day? Or just taking cupcakes to your kid’s school? Personalize them by writing guests’ or students’ names on each one.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; green frosting; pastry bag with couplers and metal tips #5 and #2 or #3. (You could get by with just #3, or icing premade in a tube).

How to Make It: Frost cupcake white. Using pastry bag and #5 metal tip, make three circles to form shamrock in upper left area of cupcake. Switch to #3 or #2 tip and pipe shamrock stem and name.

Add some texture to your baby chick cupcakes this Easter with shredded coconut! These cupcakes would also be fun at a party with a farm theme.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; frosting tinted yellow; shredded coconut; yellow dye (liquid or paste); orange candy fruit wedge; 2 brown, black or blue M&Ms; 3 red jellybeans; scissors or knife.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Put coconut in a bowl, add yellow dye and mix well. Sprinkle on cupcake for feathers. Arrange 3 red jellybeans at top of head. Cut triangle shape from candy fruit and place on top as beak. Add M&M eyes.

Use two shades of green to make these St. Patrick’s Day shamrock cupcakes stand out. For a lucky variation, make four-leaf clovers instead!

What You Need: 1 cupcake; green frosting; shredded coconut; green food coloring (liquid dye or paste); pastry bag with coupler and #5 metal tip.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake green. Tint shredded coconut green and sprinkle on top of cupcake. Use pastry bag and metal tip to pipe 3 (or 4) flat circles, plus a stem, to make a clover.