easter cupcakes | EASYBAKED

Elderflower Lemonade Cupcakes

Posted on June 3, 2017 by Ruthanne

Elderflower syrup and fresh mint leaves make these cupcakes unique. The lemonade frosting on top makes them unforgettably delicious!

Just a few weeks ago I made Elderflower Lemonade that was amazing. Seriously- you need to try it! After making many batches of it for friends and family, it occurred to me that these flavors would make such good cupcakes! I experimented a bit with the cupcakes, and topped them with my famous lemonade frosting and YUM! I really liked them. A lot!

Plus they are so fun and springtime-y! The only special ingredient you’ll need is Elderflower syrup. I got mine on Amazon and you won’t want to skip this ingredient because it is the secret deliciousness behind this recipe. Plus, once you have it you can make the lemonade- and you will not regret it!!

Here is how we made these (printable recipe here):

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed white cake mix (plus eggs and oil to make according to package)
Elderflower syrup (about 1-2 cups depending on boxed mix)
1/4 cup finely chopped mint leaves
2- 8oz. packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened to room temp.)
1 packet (0.23oz.) of Kool-Aid Lemonade
1- 7oz. container Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
1/3 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip Topping (refrigerator temp)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees
Make cake mix according to package, but replace 1/2 of the required water with elderflower syrup (so if the mix calls for one cup of water, use 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of Elderflower syrup)
Bake according to package, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Cool on countertop.
Cream together cream cheese, lemonade and yellow food coloring until smooth.
Beat marshmallow creme and powdered sugar in and then fold in Cool Whip until completely smooth.
Place frosting in a large zip-top bag, fitted with a decorating tip, and keep in fridge until ready to frost.
Before frosting, use a toothpick to poke holes into the top of each cupcake (6-8). Use a pastry brush to generously brush the top of each cupcake with elderflower syrup, allowing it to soak into the holes.
Pipe lemonade frosting on the top of each cupcake and decorate as desired.
Keep in a loosely sealed container, refrigerated, for 2-3 days.
Enjoy!

My thoughts: These really are such a deliciously different flavor of cupcake. The mint with the lemon- and that yummy syrup… I love them! They are on my permanent list of spring cupcake options! I hope you get a chance to try them! 🙂 ~r

This lemonade frosting has been one of the biggest hits on this blog. It was originally created in 2011 for a Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake, which is my most popular recipe- ever. This is a little sad to me since my photography in 2011 needed LOTS of improvement, and the photos are awful 🙂

I remade it (making the frosting a bit thicker) in 2012, and used it on cupcakes in 2013.

It is a go-to frosting recipe for sure. It actually tastes like lemonade, and as my friend Laura (the frosting-hater) says: “I love it- it tastes more like a creamy filling than a frosting.”

Spring recipes are SO FUN! Here’s a few more to try (click on photo to see recipe).

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Posted in Cupcakes and tagged cupcake, cupcakes, easter, easter cupcakes, easter dessert, elderflower lemonade, elderflower recipe, elderflower syrup, frosting with Kool-aid, frosting with marshmallow, Kool-aid cupcakes, Kool-Aid dessert, lemon mint cupcakes, lemonade cupcakes, lemonade frosting, lemonade recipe, mint leaves, mothers day, mothers day cupcake, mothers day recipe, spring dessert. Bookmark the permalink.

Carrot Patch Cupcakes

Posted on April 8, 2017 by Ruthanne

Delicious strawberry “carrots” buried in Oreo buttercream frosting- a perfect cupcake for Easter!

I saw these adorable strawberry carrots online the other day, and imagined them buried in the top of cupcakes for Easter. Ah- soooo fun! Plus a strawberry and chocolate combo is always a winner in my book! These are easy, fun and a perfect way to add carrots to your cupcakes- without actually using carrots 🙂

Here is how we made these cute little treats: (printable recipe here)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed cake mix (plus oil, water and eggs to make according to package)
One package of Oreo Thins, crushed into crumbs
2 sticks (one cup) of salted butter at room temperature
2 sticks (one cup) of unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 cup of cocoa powder
24 small strawberries
1 package of Wilton’s Candy Melts in orange

DIRECTIONS:

Wash and thoroughly dry 24 strawberries.
Make carrots by melting Candy Melts in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until melted and smooth.
Lay parchment paper or wax paper on countertop.
Grasping a strawberry by its stem and leaves, dip it into candy melts, spooning melts as close to stem as possible.
Set covered strawberry on paper to harden.
Once all berries are covered, spoon remaining melts into a zip-top bag and seal. Clip a corner and drizzle lines over the top.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Prepare cake mix as directed and divide evenly into 24 cupcake liners in tins.
Bake according to package and cool completely.
Make frosting by adding butters, powdered sugar and vanilla to a large mixing bowl and beating on high until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes).
Add cocoa powder to frosting and beat on high until well- combined.
Use a cookie scoop, or ice cream scoop to place a scoop of frosting on top of each cupcake.
Press this into a bowl of Oreo crumbs, turning the cupcake to make sure all edges are covered.

Press a strawberry “carrot” into the center of each cupcake and spoon a few remaining Oreo crumbs over the bottom of the carrot, to cover it further.

ENJOY!!!!

My thoughts: These are delicious little cupcakes! I really love this chocolate buttercream recipe- plus they are so cute! Note that chocolate covered strawberries only stay fresh for a couple of days before they start to get a little soggy/sticky. These last a little longer because they still have their stems attached- but don’t make these cupcakes WAY in advance. I hope you get a chance to try these!!! Enjoy! ~r

Other Easter treats you might like (click on a photo to see the recipe):