Posted by Tastefully Simple on March 24, 2015
I LOVE to make super-cute desserts, especially cupcakes. Who doesn’t love an adorable cupcake?
And I love it even more when the recipe is simple to make. I feel like I’m getting away with something. These awesome Easter cupcakes are no different. They look difficult, but they’re so easy!
If you just want the cupcake recipe, scroll down. Otherwise, I’ll show you step-by-step how to make this awesome Easter dessert!
To start out, we’re going to preheat the oven to 325° and make the cupcake batter. Combine Absolutely Almond Pound Cake Mix™ with ¾ cup melted butter (1½ sticks) and a cup of water.
Place liners in a 12-cupcake tin. Spoon the batter evenly into the liners (about ¾ full).
Bake those bad boys for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow these to cool completely. We don’t want to melt our candy when we start filling!
When they’re cooled, use a spoon to hollow out the center of the cupcake. I like to press my spoon in to make a circle and then lift out the center.
You should end up with a cone-shape kind of like this. Don’t be afraid to hollow out a little bit more if you need to, but try not to make the round opening in the top any wider.
Next, add in a teaspoon or two of candy. Leave a bit of room at the top. You’ll see why in a second!
With our candy inside the cupcake, we need to add the tops back on so we can frost them. Remember how the cupcake pieces were cone-shaped when we hollowed out the cupcake? Well, all we need to do is cut the tip of the cone so we’re left with a flat piece to go back on top of the cupcake.
Place the top back on the cupcake to fill the hole.
Now for the frosting! Since I’m making these cupcakes for Easter, I wanted some fun pastel-colored frosting. I bought a can of cream cheese frosting and divided it into thirds. I left one batch white and then added a couple drops of food coloring to make pink and purple.
Once the colors are mixed, put each into a resealable plastic bag. Then snip off a corner and pipe the frosting right onto the cupcakes. Easy!
It’s really easy to use a knife to frost them, too! Add some sprinkles on top, and you’re done!
I’m going to LOVE watching my nephews bite into these cupcakes this weekend. Their little faces will be so surprised to bite into CANDY!
Have a great Easter! Enjoy!
– Anna
Candy Filled Cupcakes
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) melted butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup assorted candy and/or sprinkles
- 16 oz. can cream cheese frosting
- Food coloring (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°. Mix together first three ingredients. Line a 12-muffin tin with liners; spoon batter into each until ¾ full. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool completely. Meanwhile, mix a few drops of food coloring into your frosting (if desired). Using a spoon, cut a cone shape out of the center of each cupcake. Add a teaspoon or two of candy or sprinkles to the inside of the cupcakes. Slice off the tip of each cone shape and place back in each cupcake. The top of the cupcake shoudl be flat. Frost cupcakes. Garnish with additional sprinkles or candies, if desired.
Tips and Hints
- These cuties are great for all sorts of occasions – 4th of July, baby and bridal showers, birthdays, etc. The possibilities are endless! All you need to do is switch up the colors!
- Small candies work best for these cupcakes. I used little sprinkles and decorator pearls. I found them in the cake decorating section of the supermarket. They worked GREAT!
- One thing I found to be just a LITTLE tricky was the top of the cupcake. If you continue to make the opening larger when you’re hollowing out the cupcake, the top won’t fit properly. I did this with one of mine. It reminded me of the time I was carving a Halloween pumpkin and the top fell straight through when I tried to put it back on. Whoops! If this happens, you’ll just end up with a gap around the edge where frosting could seep through. It’s not the end of the world. Frosting mixed with candy doesn’t sound so bad.