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I’ll teach you how to make these adorable Easter Bunny Cupcakes. They’re homemade coconut cupcakes with coconut buttercream and decorated with chocolate bunny ears. These are the perfect Easter cupcakes.
The cutest Easter Cupcakes
I am dying over how cut these cupcakes turned out! Kids and adult will love these Easter Bunny cupcakes. I’ve included a step-by-step tutorial for each part of the process, you’ll be whipping these up in no time.
This recipe starts with a home coconut cupcake, I love this recipe. The crumb is tight but it’s so moist and fluffy. The recipe is super easy to throw together. Then I added a whipped coconut buttercream.
If you don’t love coconut, you could make these with my vanilla cupcakes or yellow cupcakes. You could even make them with a chocolate cupcake base, and then frost them with a vanilla frosting. Even if you didn’t want to bake from scratch, you could still make these with a cake mix too.
Okay let’s get started!
Prepare the Coconut Cupcakes
The recipe is for 12 cupcakes, but you could easily double it for 24 cupcakes.
- Sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Melted Butter
- Eggs and Egg whites
- Coconut extract– don’t skip this, you need it for the flavor
- Vanilla extract
- Sour cream– you can substitute with Greek or plain yogurt
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Coconut milk– this is canned coconut milk, found in the Asian food section. When opening the can, the fat will be separated from the water. Be sure to mix this really well prior to using. Pour it into a bowl and whisk or put in in a blender. Coconut milk really adds flavor, but if you are in a pinch and don’t have any, sub with regular milk.
- Combine the sugar with all the wet ingredients except the coconut milk and beat until combined.
- Combine all the dry ingredients together and add slowly add to the batter along with the coconut milk. Beat until well combined.
- Divide the batter evenly, filling the liners 2/3 full, then bake and cool.
Prepare the buttercream
You’ll notice this recipe calls for cold butter, it’s my secret to making the most perfect fluffy buttercream. I won’t dive into the specific, but if you want to know more, or you’re new to making buttercream, make sure you read through my tutorial for perfect buttercream frosting.
- Unsalted butter, cold
- Powdered sugar
- Coconut extract
- Heavy whipping cream- can also be substituted with regular or coconut milk
- Pinch of salt
- Cut the butter into cubes, about 1 tablespoon in size. Beat for several minutes until it’s super fluffy, scraping down the bowl occasionally.
- Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, alternating in the liquid ingredients (coconut extract and heavy cream). After each additional of powdered sugar, beat the frosting for about 60 seconds to ensure it’s well mixed.
- Once all the ingredients have been added, beat the frosting about another minute or two until it’s really light and fluffy.
If you need to make this frosting ahead of time, simply store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Then rewhip it in the mixer prior to piping.
How to decorate Easter Bunny Cupcakes
Make the chocolate ears
Don’t worry if you don’t have the best piping skills, I will share a few tricks that will help you! If you don’t want to make the ears yourself, you can buy fondant ears or get paper ears at Michaels or JoAnns. You can make these up to 2 days in advance.
Equipment needed:
- Ghirardelli chocolate melts- could use Almond bark or Wilton candy melts if needed
- Bunny ear template- click to download
- Large cookie sheet
- Parchment paper & tape
- Small piping bags
- Size 4 piping tip
- Pink gel color- such as Wilton or Amerigel
- Print out a copy of the template, and tape it to the cookie sheet. Place a piece of parchment over top, and tape the edges down to hold it in place.
- Melt ½ cup of chocolate melts. Melt half of the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at 50% power in 30 second intervals; stir after each interval and continue until chocolate is melted. Reduce microwave time as needed so the chocolate does not burn.
- Fit a small piping bag with a size 4 piping tip or cut off the very tip of the bag.
- Pipe the outside of the bunny ears following the template and allow the chocolate to set.
- Melt ¼ of chocolate melts as noted above. Add a drop of pink gel color and stir to combine. Fit another piping bag with a size 4 piping tip or cut off the very tip of the bag.
- Fill in the center of the ears with the pink chocolate. IMPORTANT: give the tray a couple light taps on the counter so let the chocolate settle. Use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles. Allow the chocolate to set completely.
- Gently remove the chocolate ears using a toothpick or angled spatula.
Frost the cupcakes
Equipment needed:
- Large piping bag
- Large open round piping tip– Ateco 808 or similar
Fill a large piping bag bitted with an open round tip or cut off the end of the piping bag about 1 inch up from the bottom. Hold the bag at 90 degrees above the cupcake and pipe the frosting in the middle of the cupcake.
Roll in coconut
Place the shredded coconut in a bowl and roll the cupcake in the coconut, gently pushing the coconut into the cupcake.
Add the decorations
It’s best to add these prior to serving.
- For the eyes, I used Brown mini M&M. Chocolate Chips would also work or black sugar pearls.
- For the nose, I used pink sixlets. You could also use pink sugar pearls or a jelly bean. Walmart, and Michaels both have great sections of small bags of candy like this, and they are usually very affordable.
- When placing the ears, flip them around, so the backside of the ears (that was flat against the cookie sheet) are facing out. This will also help hide any mistakes in the piping, and they’re look nice and flat.
Preparation and storage
Prepare these cupcakes up to two days in advance. I do recommend adding the decorations that day of serving. However, you can frost and coat in the coconut and then keep them store.
Stored in a cool, dry place in an airtight container once they are frosted. If you live in a hot and humid environment, then I would suggest that you refrigerate cupcakes that are frosted and allow them to come to room temperature before serving.
Easter Bunny Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Adorable Easter Bunny Cupcakes with chocolate bunny ears. They’re a homemade fluffy coconut cupcakes with coconut buttercream.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- ¾ cups (143g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (59 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg white
- 2 teaspoons (10ml) coconut extract
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (59ml) sour cream
- 1 ¼ cups (175g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup (158ml) coconut milk, well stirred
For the frosting
- 1 cup(226g) unsalted butter, cold
- 3 cups (390g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon(5ml) coconut extract (additional to taste)
- 1 tablespoon(15ml) heavy whipping cream (or milk or coconut milk)
- Pinch of salt (optional)
Decorating supplies
- 1 bag (7oz) shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
- Brown mini M&M or Chocolate Chips
- Pink Sixlets or Sugar Pearls
- 1 bag (10oz) Ghirardelli white candy melts
- Pink Food coloring
Instructions
For the cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, vegetable oil, butter, eggs sour cream and extracts. Beat on medium speed until well incorporated and the batter is lighter in color, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients. Alternate adding half the dry ingredients and half the coconut milk at a time and mix just until the flour starts to incorporate. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir the batter from the bottom to the top to ensure it’s well mixed.
- Using a large cookie scoop, divide the batter evenly, filling each liner 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F for 14-16 minutes. Test the cupcakes for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cupcake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cupcakes are done. Cool Completely.
For the Frosting:
- Cut the butter into pieces. Using the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 3-5 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Beat until the butter looks light in color and has increased in volume.
- Add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time and mix on low speed until incorporated into butter then continuing adding additional powdered sugar, alternating with the extracts and heavy cream. After each additional cup of powdered sugar, beat for about 60 seconds on medium-high or until the powdered sugar is well combined.
- Increase speed to medium-high and beat for another 3-5 minutes to whip additional air into the frosting.
To Decorate:
- Prepare the bunny ears (download template here)
- Melt half of the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at 50% power in 30 second intervals; stir after each interval and continue until chocolate is melted. Reduce microwave time as needed so the chocolate does not burn.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper over top of the template, tape down. Fit a small piping bag with a size 4 piping tip or cut off the very tip of the bag. Pipe the outside of the bunny ears. Allow the chocolate to set.
- Melt another ¼ cup of white chocolate, add a small drop of pink gel color and stir to combine. Fill the middle of the ears. Gently tap the tray on the table to gently spread and flatten the chocolate. Remove any air bubbles with a toothpick. Allow the chocolate to set completely, then carefully remove each ear.
Frost the cupcakes:
- Fill a large piping bag bitted with an open round tip (Ateco 808 or similar). Or cut off the end of the piping bag about 1 inch up from the bottom. Hold the bag at 90 degrees above the cupcake and pipe the frosting.
- Place the shredded coconut in a bowl and roll the cupcake in the coconut, gently pushing the coconut into the cupcake. Then place the eyes and nose on the cupcake then the ears.
Notes
Ingredient substitutions:
- Sour cream: plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
- Coconut milk: use regular milk
- Heavy whipping cream (frosting): can be subbed with milk or coconut milk
Cupcake Flavor Alternatives
If you don’t love coconut, you could make these with my vanilla cupcakes or yellow cupcakes. You could even make them with a chocolate cupcake base. For the frosting, I would suggest my vanilla buttercream.
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Easter cupcakes, Easter dessert, Coconut cupcakes
