The Charmed Kitchen

These cupcakes would make a great dessert for Easter- or any time. They are also a fun dessert for kids to make.

I started out by making a double batch of my classic white cupcakes- recipe follows.

I also made a double batch of white chocolate frosting. You could certainly make a vanilla buttercream, if you prefer.

To add a little color to the cupcakes, I divided the batter into three bowls and tinted each of them a different pastel color.

As I filled the pans, I just added a spoonful of each of the tinted batters in them. They came out really nice. I made three different cupcakes: bunnies, chicks and nests.

Details on how to make each of them are listed below.

Classic White (Vanilla)  Cupcakes

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cupcakes are done when they springs back to the touch. Makes 12.

White Chocolate Frosting

6 oz. white chocolate – if using bars, chop before melting
1 stick (4 oz.) cold butter, cut into cubes
1-2 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

Melt chocolate. I just melt mine in a microwave safe dish, but you can use a double boiler. Let chocolate cool down a little. Beat butter into the melted chocolate. Beat until smooth and then beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip until frosting is smooth and fluffy. I normally beat for 5 minutes or longer. If too thick, add a few drops of water or milk. For this recipe, I made a double batch of frosting.

Bunnies

extra white chocolate

food coloring- pink or red

chocolate chips

pastel ( pink) M&M’s

Make bunny ears by melting some white chocolate and putting it in a piping bag or bottle. On wax paper, make outline of the ears in white chocolate and allow to cool/harden. Place a drop or two of pink or red food coloring in a microwave safe bowl and add some white chocolate. Melt in microwave, being careful not to burn the chocolate and stir until it turns pink. Pipe the pink chocolate into the middle of the ears. Allow to harden before peeling off of the was paper. Using a star tip, pipe frosting on cupcake. I made three layers – to add height to the cupcake. place ears on cupcake and add chips/candy for eyes and mouth.

Chicks

Frosting tinted yellow and green

mini chocolate chips

fruit roll up

Using star tip, pipe the chick’s body onto the cupcake in yellow frosting. Pipe on head and wings. Pipe green frosting  around chick to form a nest. Use mini chips for eyes and cut fruit roll up for beak.

Nests

Frosting tinted green

egg shapes malted milk balls- or you could use jelly beans

Pipe green frosting on cupcakes to make nests. Add three, or more, candies in the middle for eggs.

Piping pink filling in ears

rainbow cupcake

bunnies

Chick cupcake

The nest cupcake