Easter Bunny Carrot Cupcakes (Printable)

Moist, spiced carrot cupcakes topped with creamy frosting and charming decorations for spring.

# What You Need:

→ 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

→ 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

→ 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

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
03 - In another bowl, whisk eggs, oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract until well combined.
04 - Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix gently until just combined.
05 - Fold in grated carrots and nuts if using.
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 cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt; beat until fluffy and smooth.
09 - Frost each cooled cupcake generously with prepared cream cheese frosting.
10 - Cut each large marshmallow diagonally. Dip the sticky side into pink sanding sugar for the inner ear detail.
11 - Press two marshmallow ears onto each cupcake. Add candy eyes, a pink candy nose, and a mini marshmallow tail to complete the bunny face.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The cupcakes themselves are genuinely moist and spiced just right, not dry or overly sweet like some store-bought versions.
  • The decoration is so simple that kids can help, turning baking into an actual event instead of just another kitchen task.
  • Cream cheese frosting cuts through the richness perfectly, making these feel a bit more grown-up than typical Easter treats.
02 -
  • Carrot cake batter can hide too much moisture—squeeze out the liquid from your grated carrots with a clean kitchen towel or they'll make the batter soggy and the cupcakes will come out dense.
  • Marshmallows start to dry out and become harder to work with after a few hours, so decorate these as close to serving time as possible or they'll slip around on the frosting.
03 -
  • Cut marshmallows with a sharp knife dipped in water so they don't stick to the blade and tear apart.
  • If candy eyes won't stick to the frosting, use a tiny dab of extra frosting as glue to hold them in place.
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