These easy vanilla Easter cupcakes are fluffy and super fun to make! They have a simple vanilla cake base and are topped with a buttercream frosting, toasted coconut and pretty pastel coloured chocolate candy. Even the Easter bunny would approve!
Hi friends!
If you are looking for a fun Easter dessert idea, this is it!
I’m stopping in today to bring you vanilla cupcakes, specifically Easter cupcakes.
With a fluffy vanilla cupcakes base, a simple buttercream, toasted coconut and lots of those Easter candy that a lot of us enjoy, what’s not to love?
For the recipe, I used generic “mini egg” candy cause that’s what I came across at the grocery and that’s what was on sale. Man, they taste good though. Are you a fan?
Looking for another fun Easter treat? Check out these carrot cake donuts!
Easter Traditions
I don’t have any strong Easter traditions nowadays. Growing up, though, I always remember my grandparents giving my brother and I these hollow chocolate Easter eggs with our names written on them in icing sugar.
I remember you could get them at the mall. Unfortunately, I don’t recall seeing them in recent years, but they were such a big part of our childhood.
I asked hubby about his Easter traditions growing up and he said it was always a big deal, especially when he was a kid.
His mother would make, like, a hundred ‘Easter buns’ (probably not that many, but as a kid everything is exaggerated, am I right?).
He said that him and his sister were not allowed to put their little hands on them until guests arrived. They were, however, allowed to have the duds … those that weren’t just perfect. Sounds like something I’d do now, LOL.
How To Make Vanilla Cupcakes
The base of these vanilla Easter cupcakes are super simple to whip up. And it’s probably ingredients you have on hand so what are ya waiting for?
I put gel food colouring in the buttercream, but that’s totally optional. The key to frosting, is to wait until they are completely cooled. Otherwise, you will end up with a hot mess of melted butter and who wants that? I mean, unless you are eating lobster or something.
So, to make cupcakes you simply:
- Mix together the flour and other dry ingredients for the vanilla cupcake base. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend together butter and sugar.
- Add eggs, one at a time. Blend in vanilla extract.
- To butter mixture, add half of the dry ingredients. Then, half of the milk. Repeat.
- Spray cupcake liners with baking spray, divide cupcake batter among liners and bake.
- Let cool completely before icing and adding coconut and Easter candy.
- Enjoy! (Full details are in the recipe card below.)
Look how fluffy these babies are? I heard recently this thing where a lot of people don’t like to use the word ‘moist’ and I had no idea. Personally, I have no aversion to it, but am so aware of it when using to describe food. If I were to use it, it would totally be applicable here!
Tell me below what are some Easter traditions of yours, either growing up or now. Do you have any fun Easter recipe ideas? I’d love to hear.
Whatever your weekend involves, I hope it includes these delicious Easter cupcakes!
If you make these Easter cupcakes, be sure to leave a comment below!
Easter Cupcakes
Ingredients
Easter Cupcakes
- 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1.5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup milk, I used 2% milk fat
- baking spray, to grease cupcake liners
Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk, I used 2% milk fat
- yellow gel food colouring, optional (use enough to reach desired colour)
Garnish
- ⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted (if desired)
- Easter candy, mini eggs or similar (about 3 per cupcake, so 36 in total)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a mixing bowl with a hand mixer), blend (on medium-high speed) sugar and butter until smooth, about 2 minutes (stop to scrape the sides of the bowl, as necessary, with a rubber spatula).
- Reduce speed and add eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. Then blend in vanilla extract.
- To butter mixture, add about half of the reserved flour mixture and half of the milk and blend. Repeat with remaining flour and milk until blending, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Place cupcake liners in a 12-count muffin pan and spray with baking spray.
- Distribute mixture among liners, about ⅔ full. Bake for 18 minutes or until a wooden toothpick or cake tester inserted in the centre of the cupcakes comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 5 to 10 minutes before removing and cooling completely on a cooling rack before frosting.
- Once cupcakes are cool, spoon (or pipe) frosting over top. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and top with candy (about 3 per cupcake). Enjoy!
Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a mixing bowl with a hand mixer), blend (start out on medium speed and increase to medium-high speed) butter with one cup of icing sugar. Add additional cup of icing sugar and blend again. Add vanilla extract and milk and blend until smooth and fluffy. Spoon over cupcakes or pipe using a piping bag.
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
