Easter Bunny Cupcakes

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

Since I love setting the table for all the holidays, I’ve been thinking about what to do for Easter. It’s just a dinner for our family, but I still want to create a festive mood.

This year, I’ve decided to make very simple Easter bunnies from marshmallows and set them on chocolate cupcakes, with some coconut “grass,” and jelly bean eggs.

I’ll group the cupcakes together on a cake plate and use them as a centerpiece, or pre-set a cupcake at each place to dress up the table. I’ll have to caution my 3 ½-year-old granddaughter that even if it’s sitting at her place, dessert doesn’t get eaten first!

Easter Bunny Cupcakes
About 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Green concentrated gel color (such as Wilton Icing Colors)
1 package marshmallows
Brown concentrated gel color (such as Wilton Icing Colors)
12 unfrosted cupcakes (from your own recipe, cake mix or from the bakery)
Chocolate frosting (from your own recipe or purchased canned frosting)
Assorted jelly bean eggs

To make the grass: Put coconut in a zip-top plastic bag. Using a toothpick, scoop out a dab of green gel color and touch it to the inside of the bag, about halfway up. Close the bag and gently massage the coconut around the green color. In about a minute, the coconut will turn green. Massage the bag until the coconut is evenly colored.

To make the bunny: Hold a marshmallow in one hand, laying it on its side (cylinder side; not the flat side). Using kitchen shears in your other hand, snip two ‘V” cuts on the side of the marshmallow, snipping so that the wide end of the cut is against the flat side of the marshmallow. Gently pull up the cuts to form the ears. Dip a toothpick in brown gel color and dot the flat side of the marshmallow to make a face. Repeat for 12 bunnies.

To assemble: Frost cupcakes. Sprinkle edges with coconut. Affix marshmallow bunny on the cupcake. Add a few jelly beans around the bunny.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Notes:

• Although you just need 12 marshmallows, you’ll find that many are misshapen so buy a bagful.
• For chocolate cupcakes, I like a simple recipe called The Best One-Bowl Chocolate Cake. And for the frosting, Chocolate Fudge Frosting. Both recipes are from Alice Medrich’s Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts, copyright 2012, published by Artisan.

For other Easter desserts, try one of the following from the Special Fork archives and recipe database:

• Easter Egg Nests are easy-to-make chocolate nests filled with marzipan eggs.
• Bunny Toasts are good treats for a no-sweets Easter basket.
• Lemon Sponge Pudding is a tangy citrus dessert that’s as fresh-tasting as spring.
• Strawberry Soup makes a light and refreshing finish to Easter dinner.

Happy Easter!

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