Easter Surprise Cupcakes

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My Easter Surprise Cupcakes feature a hidden jelly bean center and a topping of buttercream grass and chocolate Easter bunnies. They're a from-scratch treat that will delight kids and adults alike at New England Easter brunches and parties.

Prep Time1 15

Cook Time20

Total Time1 35

Course: Cake, Dessert, Easter, Spring Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 456kcal

Author: Nancy Mock

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

2½ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
4 egg yolks at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1¼ cups milk, lukewarm

For the buttercream frosting:

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup vegetable shortening (like Crisco)
1 pinch salt
6 cups confectioners' sugar
½ cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
green food coloring

Decorations:

1½ cups jelly beans (regular, or brands like Jelly Belly or Starburst)
miniature chocolate bunnies (Such as Iddy Biddy Bunnies from Russell Stover, or foil-wrapped mini chocolate Easter bunnies from other brands. Or, see the Notes below for other candy topping ideas.)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Prepare two 12-cup standard cupcake pans: grease and flour the cupcake wells or use paper liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the 2½ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 6 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and the 1½ cups granulated sugar for 5 minutes: the mixture should be fluffy and pale yellow in color.
Add in the 2 large eggs at room temperature one at a time, mixing after each addition. Slowly add in the 4 egg yolks at room temperature while the mixer is running on low. Mix in the 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
Add in about a third of the flour mixture and mix the batter on low speed. Add in half of the 1¼ cups milk, lukewarm and mix it into the batter. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture, the rest of the milk and then the last of the flour until the ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth.
Fill each cupcake well about ⅔ full with batter (about 2 ounces in each well.) Wipe away any drips of batter on the top of the pan.

Bake the cupcakes:

Place the pans in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean or with only a few crumbs. Turn the cupcakes out onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.

Prepare the buttercream:

Beat together the ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened and the ¼ cup vegetable shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix in the 1 pinch salt.
For the 6 cups confectioners' sugar and ½ cup milk beat in 1 cup of sugar to start, followed by a little of the milk. Continue alternating the sugar and milk until all of the sugar has been mixed in. (You may not need all of the milk.)
Add in the 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract and a few drops of the green food coloring. Beat the frosting until it is light and fluffy. Keep mixing in more green food coloring a few drops at a time until you get the right shade of grassy green.

Hide the jelly beans:

Cut out the centers of the cupcakes: I like to use the tip of a straight vegetable peeler or you can use a paring knife. Cut a circle about 1 inch in diameter by inserting the knife or peeler ⅔ of the way down into the cupcake.
Use the knife or peeler to pull out the cylinder of cake: cut off most of the cylinder to just leave the top that will go back on the cupcake. Scrape out the hole inside the cupcake just a bit so that the jellybeans will fit.
For the 1½ cups jelly beans: drop a few jellybeans into the hole: I had success with 6 jellybeans per cupcake. Place the cake cap over the jellybeans and press it in place gently to make the cap flush with the top. Repeat with the rest of the cupcakes.

Frost the cupcakes:

Spread a thin layer of green frosting over the top of the cupcakes as a crumb coat. Place the rest of the green buttercream into a piping bag with a star tip.
Cover the tops of the cupcakes with tufts of frosting. (Alternatively if you'd rather not pipe, just use a knife to spread frosting on each cupcake. Make the frosting thick and rugged: the kind of texture little rabbits would like to frolic in.)

Add the bunnies or other decor to the tops:

For the miniature chocolate bunnies: add a few tiny chocolate bunnies to the frosted tops of each cupcake, pressing them in just a little to sit in the frosting. Enjoy!

To store the cupcakes:

The cupcakes can be stored in a cupcake storer or covered in plastic for up to three days. Makes about 23 servings.

Notes

The eggs and milk in this recipe should be at room temperature. To make this happen quickly, place cold eggs into a bowl filled with warm (not hot) water. (Do this before separating yolks from whites.) They should come to room temperature in about 20 minutes. The milk can be microwaved for 20 to 30 seconds until it has just lots its chill.
For the jelly beans in this recipe, I recommend using Jelly Belly or Starburst varieties, as they are smaller than generic jelly beans and therefore you can get more of them into each cupcake. Not to mention they have great, intense flavors!
For the miniature chocolate rabbits for the tops, look for Iddy biddy Bunnies from Russell-Stover brand, or mini bunnies from another brand like Vermont Country Store. Or try different candies on the cupcakes like robin eggs malted candies, foil-wrapped Easter mini eggs, Easter corn, or marshmallow Peeps.
Cake recipe slightly adapted from a recipe in The Baker's Manual by Amendola/Rees. The buttercream frosting is slightly adapted from the Easy Buttercream recipe in the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion.

Nutrition