Easter Basket Cupcakes

Spring arrives with a demand for color. These cupcakes answer that call by transforming our reliable vanilla base into miniature baskets filled with sweets. It is a baking project that delights children but relies on solid culinary foundations to ensure the taste matches the presentation.

We have combined two of our most reliable recipes to create this treat. The base is our Standard Vanilla Cupcakes which provides a tender, milky crumb. The structure comes from our Classic Vanilla Frosting which holds the definition of the piped grass perfectly. We have provided both recipes here in one place for ease of baking. The addition of a licorice handle and a marzipan figure turns a simple cake into a seasonal centerpiece.

The Recipe Yields: 26 to 36 cupcakes | Prep time: 40 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Frosting

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Green food coloring

For Decoration

• 1 (12-ounce) bag small jelly beans
• 1 package red licorice laces
• 1 (7-ounce) package roll marzipan

Instructions

1. Bake the Cupcakes Beat the shortening in a large bowl at medium speed with an electric mixer. Gradually add the sugar and beat well. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add this dry mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Mix after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix just until blended. Spoon the batter into paper or foil-lined muffin pans filling each two-thirds full. Bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pans and let cool on wire racks.
2. Prepare the Frosting Beat the butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer. Gradually add the sugar and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Stir in the milk and vanilla extract. Add green food coloring until you reach a grassy, vibrant shade.
3. Pipe the Grass Spoon the green frosting into a piping bag fitted with a grass tip (No. 233). Squeeze the bag to pipe clusters of grass over the entire surface of each cooled cupcake. Pull the tip up quickly as you release pressure to create the strands.
4. Assemble the Basket Top the grass with a small pile of jelly beans to resemble eggs in a nest. Cut the red licorice laces into 4-inch pieces. Insert the ends of one lace into opposite sides of the cupcake to form an arched handle.
5. Add the Rabbit Roll out the marzipan to 1/4-inch thickness. Use a small rabbit cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Place a marzipan bunny on each cupcake near the handle to finish the scene.

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