Design Happens

If you’re a baker, you’ve likely had that moment of panic in the middle of a tedious decorating project. Since I’m a late-night gal, mine usually happens about 2 a.m. when I’m, say, painstakingly weaving lattice crusts for 100 mini apple pies. Most times, it’s worth the extra effort in the end (who doesn’t love a mini apple pie?!), but when you’re entertaining, simpler is usually better.

That’s why I set out to simplify my Easter cupcakes this year: You can start each of these designs with the same lemon-scented cupcake recipe and vanilla buttercream frosting, and all of the toppings are things you’ll likely find at your local supermarket.

These bite-sized mini cupcake chicks, for instance, start with a layer of robin’s egg blue frosting. Add a couple of mini chocolate chip eyes and turn two triangles of fruit leather into an edible beak, then tuck them into a “nest” of shredded paper or Easter grass.

This next cupcake is an ode to our March Color of the Month: a mini garden plot of carrots! Dip a frosted cupcake into crushed chocolate graham crackers, then push chunks of coconut-peanut butter candy as carrot stand-ins. Top the “carrots” with a dollop of orange frosting and add a few pieces of green licorice as leaves. I used half of a craft stick as a crop marker, but you could also write on Easter guests’ names and use the cupcakes as tasty place cards.

More Easy Cupcake Decorating Ideas