Here comes Peter Cottontail, hoppin down the bunny trail……. Hippity hoppity Easter’s on it way!
I can’t believe Easter is just about here! March was a record breaking warm month, in the 80′s a good part of the time, and April is headed in the same direction starting out in the 90′s! Feels more like Forth of July than Easter here in Missouri.
Whether it is a new dress, a bonnet or basket filled with candy, many will be celebrating Easter this Sunday. After the morning egg hunts, and church, it’s time to settle in for a nice Easter meal that always includes some delicious baked goods!
I few months ago I saw the cutest little marshmallow bunnies on BHG.com and I knew they’d be adorable on top of a cupcake, a lemon cupcake to be exact!
I slightly adapted my lemon pound cake recipe for the cupcakes, filled them with a tangy lemon curd and topped with lemon buttercream. I knew they’d be good any time, not just for Easter, so I decided I to decorated them three different ways.
Grab your aprons and lets get started (the recipes are at the end of this post)
Marshmallow Bunnie Cupcakes
Supplies Needed
For Bunnies
- Large and miniature marshmallows
- Vanilla canned frosting
- toothpicks (*optional)
- Flaked cocount
- kitchen shears
- Candies and Sprinkles (I used Wilton Spring Confetti Sprinkles, Sixlets and Pink Candy Grass)
- Pink Food color and brush (*optional)
For Grass Frosting
- Buttercream frosting (recipe below)
- Green gel-paste food color
- pastry bag
- Wilton #233 tip
To Assemble
Tint buttercream green with gel-paste food color (I use Leaf Green). Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a Witon #233 tip. Starting at the center of the cupcake and moving outward, pipe rows of grass on top of cupcakes: Start with the tip on surface of cupcake, squeeze bag, then release while quickly pulling up to form 1/4-inch-long blades, making some slightly longer than others. (don’t be discouraged if it looks a mess, I’m not good at doing this, but trust me, no one will notice and they will still look cute!)
Form Marshmallow Bunnies:
- Place a large marshmallow on a toothpick and frost with canned frosting, then roll it in coconut.
- Attach two miniature marshmallows for the feet using a little frosting to “glue”.
- Decorate with candies for the eyes, nose, and whiskers.
- To make ears: Use kitchen shears to cut a strip from the top edge of a large marshmallow. Dip brush in pink food color, then into a bowl of water (to dilute) and lightly brush center of “ears” (*optional), then attach with a bit of frosting.
- Place bunny on top of buttercream “grass” and remove toothpick
Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow frosting to set. Cupcakes are best served the same day they are decorated; keep at room temperature. (I did take mine to a party two days latter and they were still delicious, I stored them in the refrigerator and removed a few hours before the party)
Polk-a-dot Cupcakes
Using the same recipes, transfer untinted lemon buttercream frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a large plain round Ateco #809 tip. Pipe frosting in a spiral motion on each cupcake. Top with Wilton Spring Confetti Sprinkles . Green polk-a-dot cupcake wrappers from Sweet Baking Supply.
Lemon Topped Cupcakes
Use the same technique as above, but instead of sprinkles, drizzle cooled lemon curd over buttercream. Happy Easter cupcake wrappers from Wilton.
This creamy velvet lemon curd is super simple to make using the microwave.
To fill cupcakes:
Use a large piping tip and press into the middle of each cupcake. (If you don’t have a tip, you can cut a circle with a small knife). Press the tip down about a third of the way and then remove it. It should remove a circle of cake from the center of the cupcake. Then fill hollowed out cupcake with lemon curd. To see how to do this with a knife, check out my raspberry filled cupcakes for instructions.
So there you go……..one cupcake decorated three ways. The bunny cupcakes are fun to make and eat – perfect for Easter holiday, but this lemon cupcake recipe is so delicious, you can decorate one of the other ways to enjoy any day.
Ingredients
- 1 box Lemon Instant Pudding mix (4 serving size)
- 1 box Lemon Cake Mix
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (squeezed from 5 lemons)
- zest of 3 lemons
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 pounds powdered sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (use clear vanilla if you want white frosting)
- zest of 2-3 lemons
- fresh lemon juice from 1-2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)
- 1-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (start with one and add until you have desired consistency)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and line cupcake tins with paper liners.
- Combine all cupcake ingredients and mix for 2 mins at medium speed.
- Using a large scoop (I use an ice cream scoop) fill each cupcake line 2/3 full with batter.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until cupcakes are springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.
- Once cupcakes have cooled, hollow out a small well in the center of each cupcake using a knife; I like to use an icing tip or apple corer, but a knife works well too.
- Whisk together sugar and eggs in a large microwave safe bowl. Add lemon juice, zest and butter and whisk until well combined.
- Cook in microwave on high at one minute intervals, stirring after each minute. This should take about 5 minutes, depending on your microwave. Lemon curd is done cooking when it coats the back of a metal spoon.
- Remove from microwave and cool completely.
- Spoon lemon curd into each hollowed out cupcake and top with buttercream.
- Drizzle lemon curd over buttercream, for optional garnish
- In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Slowly add salt, vanilla and lemon zest on medium low until smooth and combined (about 1), scrapping sides of bowl as necessary.
- Slowly add powdered sugar one cup at a time on low until combined, scrape sides of bowl.
- Add lemon juice and mix until well combined. Increase speed to medium, and beat for 1 min.
- If buttercream is too thick, slowly add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.
© TidyMom. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.
http://tidymom.net/2012/bunny-lemon-filled-cupcakes-with-lemon-buttercream/
More Easter Cupcakes:
Raspberry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes
I'm linking up with these parties.......please visit them! Made by You Monday, Get Your Craft On, Weekend Wrap Up Party, Pity Party , Tasty Tuesday, Strut Your Stuff and Sundae Scoop
About TidyMom
The bunnies turned out so cute, Cheryl! I love them.
Lemon is so spring to me – these cupcakes look fabulous!
These cupcakes look so pretty… and so delicious! Great idea to use lemon!
Too cute and I love the filling!
So so so cute! i love all the variations, Cheryl.
The bunny cupcakes are the sweetest and your lemon filled and lemon topped cupcakes with the lemon buttercream…that’s my kind of Easter treat.
Cheryl these are TOO CUTE! I wish I had mad decorating skills like you do!
Oh Cheryl – these are adorable!!
those are so festive, Cheryl! I love a good lemon cake – add a bunny and you have something so special!
So ADORABLE!!
These are so cute!! Love this idea.
How cute are all these cupcakes! I adore the bunny ones – so cute.
They are so cute…and lemon curd…my absolute favorite!!!
The little bunnies are absolutely adorable! I don’t think I could bite into something so cute.
Cute!! The post I shared today is from a few years back… but still fun to share today
Stinkin’ adorable, Cheryl! I love the lemon curd in the middle. Lemon has to be my favorite flavor.. behind chocolate of course, but that’s a given, right?
Super cute and the pictures are great!
These are adorable! I love the lemon curd in the center. Mmmm!
Those bunnies are too cute!
So cute and I love lemon anything!! My kids would freak if I made these
These are fabulous! So cute Cheryl!
These are beyond adorable, Cheryl! Plus, I love that you filled the cupcakes with lemon curd.
So adorable Cheryl! Love all the different designs
Those are really, really cute, Cheryl! And I love, love, love lemon curd! I’ve been dreaming of a lemon curd cake…maybe I just need to make these cupcakes!
These are so adorable! Love this idea! Can’t wait to try it out this weekend, the family will be so impressed! ha
They look delicious. Lemon sounds so spring-like and perfect for Easter.
I am SO making this lemon curd tomorrow, and cupcakes:). Thanks for the great recipes. Your photography is fantastic and I love your food styling!
Lovely cupcakes. I will try the hollow out style. I find it so cute.
How fun and festive! A delicious recipe to accompany that is sure to please everyone this holiday!
Delicious and cute. You do such great work – another great project
Love for you to share it at my Linky Party if you get a chance
My girls would love to dive into those! Too cute!
These are too cute! I adore the bunnies but those runny eggs are cracking me up. No pun intended, honest
I’m a sucker for anything lemon!! Sounds really good and looks EVEN cuter!!! Great Job!
I am visiting via TT&J. I absolutely adore this yummy project! So clever.
If you have a moment, please stop by my blog. I created a few spring crafts this week.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Came here from Made by You Monday! These look delicious!! I am sure my Bunny would love them!!
Cheryl,
These are amazing cupcakes! I would love for you to share them and anything else you might want to at my link party – I found your link over at Sundae Scoop Link party. Have a great week.
Hugs,
Michelle
I make lemon filled cupcakes but instead of filling them after they bake I drop about 1 tablespoon of lemon curd on top of the cupcake and it sinks into the middle as it bakes. You can mix the store bought frosting with cool whip and it makes a lighter tasting frosting. Just some alternate suggestions.
Loving this. I’ve never tried doing filled ones before. I must get the little tool and have at it.