Easter Bunny Carrot Cupcakes (Printable)

Moist spiced carrot cupcakes topped with creamy cheese frosting and festive bunny decorations.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Cupcakes

01 - 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar
04 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
06 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
07 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
08 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
09 - 2 large eggs
10 - 1/2 cup vegetable oil
11 - 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
12 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
13 - 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
14 - 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

→ For the Cream Cheese Frosting

15 - 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
16 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
17 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
18 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
19 - Pinch of salt

→ For Decoration

20 - 24 large marshmallows for ears
21 - Pink sanding sugar or edible pink glitter
22 - 12 mini marshmallows for bunny tails
23 - 24 candy eyes
24 - 12 pink candy-coated chocolates for noses

# Method:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until evenly distributed.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, vegetable oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
04 - Add the wet ingredient mixture to the dry ingredients and mix gently until just combined; do not overmix.
05 - Fold in grated carrots and walnuts or pecans if using, until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
06 - Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling each approximately two-thirds full.
07 - Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
08 - Beat softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add sifted powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, then beat until fluffy and smooth.
09 - Frost each cooled cupcake generously with the cream cheese frosting.
10 - Cut each large marshmallow diagonally. Dip the sticky side into pink sanding sugar or edible pink glitter to coat the inner ear.
11 - Press two marshmallow ears onto each cupcake. Add candy eyes, a pink candy-coated chocolate nose, and a mini marshmallow tail to complete the bunny decoration.

# Expert Pointers:

01 -
  • The cake stays wonderfully moist thanks to the oil and applesauce combination, no dry crumbs to regret.
  • Kids absolutely lose their minds decorating these as bunnies, turning baking into playtime instead of chores.
  • The cream cheese frosting is silky enough to pipe but sturdy enough to hold those marshmallow ears without sliding off.
02 -
  • Grate your carrots finely rather than roughly; chunky pieces don't distribute evenly and you'll get bites that are either very moist or very dry.
  • Don't skip cooling the cupcakes completely before frosting them, even though it's tempting; warm cupcakes will cause your frosting to slide right off.
  • Pink sanding sugar sticks best to marshmallows if you dip them while the cut side is still sticky and moist; let it sit for a moment to set.
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients mix together more smoothly and create a better emulsion, resulting in a more tender cupcake with better texture.
  • The trick to perfectly cut marshmallow ears is using a very sharp knife and a quick, confident sawing motion rather than pressing down, which squashes them.
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