Easter Basket Cupcakes Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line 30 muffin cups with paper liners. In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugars, oil and vanilla until well blended. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, ginger and nutmeg; add to egg mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Stir in carrots, walnuts, pineapple and coconut., Fill prepared cups three-fourths full. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until blended. Beat in orange zest and vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Frost cupcakes., In a large resealable plastic bag, mix water and food coloring; add coconut. Seal bag and shake until coconut is evenly tinted. Sprinkle over cupcakes. Decorate with candies, as desired. Refrigerate until serving.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
• Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 24 cupcakes. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Frost with frosting. Use candy strips for handle on each. Decorate with candy as desired. Store loosely covered.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in the egg and orange zest. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. , Fill 18 paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in a small bowl, beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar; spread over cupcakes. Combine water and food coloring in a large bowl; add coconut. Stir to coat. Sprinkle over cupcakes., Using a metal or wooden skewer, poke 2 holes in the top of each cupcake, 1 hole on each side. Cut licorice into 6-in. strips for handles; insert each end of a licorice piece into a hole. Decorate with candy eggs.

Steps:

• MAKE CUPCAKES: Place rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• Cut ten 8-inch squares of aluminum foil. Place each waffle bowl in center of each foil square. Wrap the outside of of the bowl with the foil, tucking the edges of the foil just inside the top of the bowl. Place bowls on baking sheet and set aside.
• In large bowl, add cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, egg whites, and coconut flavoring (if using).
• Blend 30 seconds with electric mixer on low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat 2 more minutes on medium speed, scraping sides if needed.
• Fill each waffle bowl with a heaping 1/2 cup batter.
• Bake the cupcakes approximately 24-27 minutes, or until they are lightly golden and spring back when lightly pressed with finger.
• Place pan on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.
• Gently peel off aluminum foil. Allow the bowls to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• MAKE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING: In large mixing bowl, add butter and mix with electric mixer on low speed until fluffy (about 30 seconds).
• Add confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla. Blend on low speed until sugar is incorporated (about 1 minute). Beat 1 minute more on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add up to 1 tablespoon milk if the frosting seems too stiff.
• Note: If you want a slightly lighter color of frosting, beat the butter several extra minutes with the electric mixer before adding sugar. You can also flavor the buttercream frosting with other extracts in place of the vanilla extract. Use almond extract for almond buttercream, coconut flavoring for coconut buttercream, etc.
• MAKE BASKETS: Place the coconut in a plastic bag. Add 2 drops of green food coloring. Seal the bag and shake well until the coconut turns green.
• Add more food coloring if needed.
• TO ASSEMBLE: Place 2 heaping tablespoons of frosting on each cupcake and spread it out smoothly with a short metal spatula or spoon, until the tops are completely covered.
• Sprinkle on coconut to resemble grass. Place a pile of jelly beans on the coconut to resemble eggs.
• Create a basket handle by inserting one end of a licorice or Twizzler stick in one side of the cupcake near the edge. Bend the Twizzler over the cupcake and insert the other end in the opposite side of the cupcake.

Steps:

• Dip cupcake top into the icing; let excess to drip back into bowl. Place cupcake on a rack over paper towels to catch any drips. Top with a small mound coconut grass. Place malted milk eggs on top.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup cupcake tins with paper liners. (To avoid cupcakes sticking if they overflow slightly, lightly spray the tops of the pans.) Put tins on a baking sheet. Set aside.
• Process sugar and butter in a food processor until very creamy, scraping sides as needed, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs and yolks, one at a time, pulsing after each addition. Add the milk, water, and vanilla and process to blend.
• Whisk both flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients, in 3 batches to the wet, pulsing, and then scraping batter off the sides of the processor as needed after each addition. Process until the batter is very smooth and pourable like pancake batter, about 2 minutes.
• Evenly pour the batter into the prepared cups, filling them 3/4 of the way full. Bake until the cakes are just firm and spring back when gently pressed, and the tops are golden, 18 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly in tin, and turn out of tin when cool enough to handle. Cool cupcakes completely on a rack before frosting.
• Put the sugar in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on the lowest speed, slowly add the water, the corn syrup and vanilla extract. When the sugar is sufficiently moistened (it won't fly out of the mixer), raise the speed to high, and beat for 2 minutes until completely smooth and glossy.
• Divide and color, as desired. Store at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the icing, to prevent forming a skin.
• For cupcakes: Dip the surface of the cupcake into the icing, allowing excess to drip into bowl. Clean any excess from the sides. Alternately, use a knife or a spreader to apply. Whisk as needed to keep icing glossy and smooth while using.
• For Light Blue Icing: Combine 2 to 3 drops of blue food coloring to 1 cup of Basic Glaze Icing.
• For Deep Yellow Icing: Combine 4 to 5 drops of yellow food coloring to 1 cup of Basic Glaze Icing.
• For Purple Icing: Combine 4 drops of red and 5 drops of blue food coloring to 1 cup of Basic Glaze Icing.