Easter Bunny Cupcakes with Marshmallow Ears
Easter Bunny Cupcakes with marshmallow ears are possibly the cutest Easter treat around! These deliciously moist carrot cake cupcakes are topped with tangy cream cheese frosting. No special equipment required!
Spring is in the air, and while we have only just started the season of Lent here in Europe, I’m already thinking about the Easter feast and all of the delicious food that goes along with it.
One of my favourite recipes to cook at this time of year is Easter Bunny Cupcakes, deliciously moist carrot cake cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting and marshmallow bunny ears – so cute and so good!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Ingredients
While this ingredient list may look long, these Easter Bunny Cupcakes require no fancy ingredients! I promise these are all just pantry staples (and a few extras for decoration).
- Carrots – Bugs Bunny’s favourite and the star ingredient!
- Flour – Plain or all-purpose works best in this recipe. A gluten-free blend can also be used.
- Milk and vegetable oil – Milk and vegetable oil combine in this recipe to give the cupcakes a beautifully tender crumb. You can switch out the oil for melted butter if you prefer. I always use whole milk when baking.
- Eggs – I use German eggs in baking, which is closer to a large in the rest of the world.
- White sugar, brown sugar and icing sugar – A combination of white and brown sugar adds a nice caramel flavour without overpowering the carrots. You’ll also need powdered sugar for the frosting.
- Baking powder – Ensures a light and fluffy texture. Always check the best-before date on your baking powder to make sure it is fresh!
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla extract (1 tsp) – Warm, aromatic flavours. If you don’t have these spices separately, you can use mixed spice or a pumpkin spice blend.
- Lemon zest & lemon juice – Adds freshness and helps cut through the sweetness of the cupcakes and frosting. Make sure you give your lemons a good scrub before you set them.
- Walnuts or hazelnuts – I like to add nuts to carrot cake recipes as they add a lovely crunch and nutty flavour. If you have allergies, simply leave them out.
- Cream cheese – it’s important that the cream cheese is at room temperature so it whips up properly.
- Desiccated coconut – Coconut is a classic for this sort of recipe and looks a bit like bunny fur!
- Marshmallows & red food colouring: Marshmallows make super cute bunny ears. If you want to avoid commercial colouring, beetroot or cherry juice are a great, natural option for mixing in with the sugar. Fancy making your own marshmallows? Grab my never-fail Marshmallow recipe here!
How many cupcakes does this recipe make?
This recipe makes a batch of 12 standard-sized cupcakes, which means it is fantastic for feeding a crowd. Un-iced cupcakes and muffins also freeze really well, so you can always prepare them in advance or save some for later.
Instructions
There are a few steps on your Easter Bunny Cupcake journey, but it’s all super simple, so even the kids can cook along.
- Prepare: Heat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a muffin tin with 12 cases.
- Mix the batter: Whisk wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another. Combine, then fold in the grated carrots and nuts.
- Bake: Fill the cases up to two-thirds full, then bake for 25–30 minutes. Cool completely.
- Make the frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and sugar until smooth. Chill until ready to use.
- Make the bunny ears: Cut marshmallows in half diagonally, then dip the cut side in coloured pink sugar.
- Decorate: Frost the cupcakes, add bunny ears, and serve.
Troubleshooting Cream Cheese Frosting
I’ve had a lot of questions over the years about cream cheese frosting, as people tend to run into the same problems with it over and over again.
Firstly it is imperative to use full-fat cream cheese here, no cheating with low-fat alternatives. Low-fat cream cheese is held together with stabilisers and will simply turn to liquid if you try to use it for frosting, so be sure to get the real stuff.
Secondly, you must add the room temperature butter to the room temperature cream cheese for best results. This means that you will have a lovely smooth frosting that sets up properly when it is chilled.
Can I reduce the sugar in these cupcakes?
I’ve already reduced the sugar quite a bit in these cupcakes, so I’d stick with the proportions in the recipe here, of course, you are welcome to experiment – let me know how you get on!
Want to try your hand at making your own marshmallows? Give my Homemade Marshmallows recipe a try!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I double or triple your Easter Bunny Cupcake recipe?
Go for it! It’s great for an Easter party or school holiday fair.
Can I make this recipe as a cake or a loaf?
You sure can. The cake batter will fit into a standard-sized loaf pan and needs around an hour to bake. It’s roughly the right amount for a 22cm round cake pan, though you’ll need to keep an eye on the cooking time.
How do I freeze Easter Bunny Cupcakes?
Freeze them un-iced and well wrapped in cling film. They defrost fairly quickly in a lunchbox or on the kitchen counter, but you’ll need to wait until they have completely defrosted before decorating.
Easter Bunny Cupcake Recipe
Easter Bunny Cupcakes
Easter Bunny Cupcakes with marshmallow ears are possibly the cutest Easter treat around! These deliciously moist carrot cake cupcakes are topped with tangy cream cheese frosting and marshmallow bunny ears. No special equipment required!
Ingredients
wet ingredients:
- 250 ml whole milk
- 100 ml vegetable oil, e.g: sunflower
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 25 ml lemon juice
dry ingredients:
- 300 g plain or all-purpose flour
- 100 g white sugar
- 50 g brown sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- zest of 1 lemon
filling:
- 3 medium carrots, grated (250-300g)
- 100 g walnuts or hazelnuts, roughly chopped
for the cream cheese frosting:
- 250 g cream cheese, room temperature (see notes)
- 75 g unsalted butter, softened
- 100 g icing sugar
- pinch of salt
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 Tbsp desiccated coconut
for the bunny ears:
- 12 white marshmallows
- 2 Tbsp white sugar
- few drops red food colouring, see notes
Instructions
- PREPARE: Heat the oven to 180°C / 350° F / Gas 4. Prepare a 12 hole muffin tray with paper muffin cases and set aside.
- MIX THE BATTER: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until well combined. In a separate bowl whisk together the dry ingredients, then mix the dry ingredients through the wet until just combined. Add the carrot and walnuts or hazelnuts to the bowl and mix through evenly.250 ml whole milk, 100 ml vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 25 ml lemon juice, 300 g plain or all-purpose flour, 100 g white sugar, 50 g brown sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground allspice, zest of 1 lemon, 3 medium carrots, 100 g walnuts or hazelnuts
- DIVDE AND BAKE: Divide between the prepared muffin cases, taking care not to fill more than two thirds of the way up the case. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes hour until risen and golden brown. Check to ensure the cupcakes are cooked through by inserting a skewer into the middle of one, it should come out dry with perhaps a few crumbs attached. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- MAKE THE FROSTING: While the muffins are cooling, make the frosting by whisking the cream cheese and butter until completely combined. Sift over the icing sugar, half at a time, and stir through with a wooden spoon. Stir in the salt and lemon zest. Chill until the muffins have cooled.250 g cream cheese, 75 g unsalted butter, 100 g icing sugar, pinch of salt, zest of 1 lemon
- MAKE THE BUNNY EARS: Use a pair of scissors to cut the marshmallows diagonally in half (see photos for reference). In a small bowl stir together the sugar and a few drops of food colouring until the desired colour is reached, then press the cut side of the ‘ears’ into the sugar mixture.12 white marshmallows, 2 Tbsp white sugar, few drops red food colouring
- DECORATE: When the muffins are completely cool, either pipe or spread the frosting thickly on top, sprinkle over the coconut and top with a pair of bunny ears.2 Tbsp desiccated coconut
Notes
CREAM CHEESE: Must be full fat, not any form of reduced fat cream cheese as otherwise the frosting will not set!
FOOD COLOURING: If you don’t want to use liquid food colouring, you can also whizz the sugar together with some freeze-dried raspberries for a beautiful pink colour and tangy flavour.
US Customary measurements are approximate. I use and recommend a digital kitchen scale for best results.
Recommended Equipment
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Nutrition
Serving: 1 cupcake | Calories: 480kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 273mg | Potassium: 200mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 3062IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?I’d love to hear how it went! Please leave a review or a star rating and let me know how it was! Use the hashtag #daysofjay on Instagram so I can see your delicious creations.
About the Author
Jay Wadams is a cookbook author, food photographer, and graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Gastronomy and Nutrition.
Based in Italy 🇮🇹 Germany 🇩🇪 and Australia 🇦🇺.
