You’ll be a hit at the next Easter party with these adorable easy Easter cupcakes. These lamb, bunny, chick, and flower designs are super simple and require basically no decorating skill — beginners and even kids can make them!

Easter is around the corner, so it’s time to start thinking about all those lovely treats you’ll serve at your Easter dinner or party! I don’t know about you, but I do not want to add anything complicated to my life this time of year. Much as I love cake decorating and baking, I keep reaching for these simple Easter cupcake ideas year after year. Anyone can make these. I’ve even included my favorite doctored box mix cupcake recipe and super simple buttercream icing, so no fancy cake baking skills required!

Another option for those who really don’t want to do battle with the oven, is simply to buy store-bought cupcakes. Some stores sell unfrosted cupcakes, but if you’re in a hurry, those that have just white frosting will work!

Why you want these cupcakes: 

• extremely easy
• beginner level
• kid-friendly
• perfect for parties
• you’ll impress all your friends!

Doctored Cake Mix Cupcakes

I’ll let you in on a secret. I never make cakes or cupcakes from scratch. Ever. And I still get requests for my  recipe at every birthday party and potluck I go to. 

Doctored cake mixes are my secret. With just a few extra ingredients and some clever substitutions, you can transform a basic cake mix into a mouth-watering dessert that everyone will love. Plus, since they start with a cake mix, they’re super easy to make, even for novice bakers.

Cake mixes are formulated so that they are practically fail-proof and only require you to mix in a few ingredients. Most box mixes are a little dry when baked, which is where the doctoring comes in. Just adding a little milk, butter, and an extra egg still lets you have the fail-proof benefits of the original mix, but increases the density and moistness of the resulting cupcake, which makes people think you got them from a bakery. It’s a better way to convince everyone that you’re good at baking!

While the recipe for a vanilla version of doctored cake mix cupcakes is at the bottom of this post, you can click through to my Better Than Bakery Cupcakes post for a full run down of the ingredients, variations, and substitutions.

Easy American Buttercream Icing

While you can absolutely make these cupcakes with store-bought canned icing (store bought cream cheese frosting is pretty good!), you just can’t beat the taste of this super simple American buttercream. My mom got it out of the old Wilton 1985 Cake Yearbook, and my family has been using it pretty much exclusively ever since. I’ve included the full recipe below, but for tips, tricks, and a word on icing consistency, you can click through to Homemade Vanilla Buttercream Icing. The consistency tips are worth the click!

How to Make Lamb Cupcakes

With their fluffy coconut “wool” and cute little faces, these adorable lamb cupcakes are almost too cute to eat. But trust me, one bite of the soft vanilla cake and creamy frosting, and you won’t be able to resist!

Ingredients

• Cupcake
• White Frosting
• Shredded coconut
• Regular Oreos
• Mini Oreos
• Candy Eyes

Instructions

Step 1 | Frosting

Start by frosting your cupcake with the white frosting. You want to get it as smooth as you can, but since we’re going to be covering it with coconut, don’t worry about perfection!

Step 2 | Coconut

Roll your cupcake in the coconut flakes. You want to roll each cupcake in the coconut immediately after frosting it. Most icing will get a crust over it if it’s left too long. That crust will make it hard to get your coconut to stick, so it’s important to roll it shortly after putting on the frosting. Make sure to rock the cupcake side to side and around in a circle to make sure the top is entirely covered!

Step 3 | Oreos

You will use two different types of Oreos for your lamb. The head is made from a regular Oreo. You just stick it towards the edge of the cupcake. 

The ears are made from a mini Oreo cut in half. I recommend separating the top from the bottom of the Oreo, then cutting the top in half. That way, you’ll get a cleaner cut. Once the Oreo is cut, you can press it into the cupcake along the side of the large Oreo to make cute little droopy ears!

Step 4 | Eyes

For your finishing touch, put a dab of frosting on the back of each candy eye, and press them into the large Oreo. Your lamb is ready to frolic across the dessert table!

How to Make Easter Bunny Cupcakes

This cupcake design is perfect for anyone who loves fluffy bunnies and sweet treats. With just a few simple decorating techniques, you can transform a plain vanilla cupcake into a cute and festive dessert that’s perfect for springtime celebrations. Kids will love helping to decorate the bunny faces, and adults will appreciate how easy and fun these cupcakes are to make.

Ingredients

• Cupcake
• White Frosting
• 2 Chocolate Chips
• Pink Gumdrop
• 1 Marshmallow
• Pink Sugar Sprinkles

Instructions

Step 1 | Bunny Ears

Pour some of the pink sugar sprinkles into a shallow bowl. Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut the marshmallow in half diagonally (see image above for reference). The, immediately press the sticky side of the marshmallows into the pink sprinkles. You want to cover the entire sticky side of each marshmallow with sprinkles!

Step 2 | Frosting

Now, frost your cupcake with the white frosting. Make sure to cover the entire top of the cupcake. Try to get it as smooth as you can, but this is forgiving design, so don’t worry too much.

Step 3 | Gumdrop Chop

Use your kitchen shears to cut a triangular piece from the gumdrop. 

Step 4 | Put it together

Press the marshmallow ears into the top of the cupcake. Below them, press the two chocolate chips to form eyes. Finish by pressing the gumdrop in below the eyes to form that cute little wiggly nose. Your adorable bunny cupcakes are ready to eat!

How to Make Spring Flower Cupcakes

These cupcakes are not only delicious, but also a feast for the eyes with their bright and colorful decorations. With just a few simple tools and techniques, you can turn a plain cupcake into a stunning flower in bloom. The perfect sweet treat for Easter or any springtime celebration!

Ingredients

• Cupcake
• White or Green Frosting
• Gumdrop or jelly beans
• 2 Marshmallows
• Pink Sugar Sprinkles
• Green Sugar Sprinkles

Instructions

Step 1 | Petals

Pour some of the pink sugar sprinkles into a shallow bowl. Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut the large marshmallows in half diagonally (see image above for reference). The, immediately press the sticky side of the marshmallows into the sprinkles. You want to cover the entire sticky side of each marshmallow with sprinkles!

Step 2 | Frosting

Now, frost your cupcake with the white or green frosting. Make sure to cover the entire top of the cupcake. Try to get it as smooth as you can, but this is forgiving design, so don’t worry too much.

Step 3 | Sprinkles

Pour some of the green sprinkles into a shallow bowl. Roll your freshly frosted cupcake in the sprinkles. Be sure to rock the cupcake from side to side and around in a circle to make sure you’ve covered the entire thing. 

Step 4 | Put it together

Press the marshmallows into the sides of the cupcake. Then, press the gumdrop or jelly bean into the center. You’ve got a spring flower ready to bloom!

Cake Mix Cupcake Variations

You’ll find a basic vanilla cake mix cupcake recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. However, if you’re a little more adventurous, you might try some of these delicious cupcake recipes. They all start with a basic box mix, but these easy recipes are anything but basic!

Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes

I won’t lie, these are my favorite cupcakes to make and eat. The chocolate flavor is so deep, and they’re so easy! Simply replace the white cake mix with chocolate cake mix. Replace the vanilla pudding with chocolate fudge pudding. You can also use plain chocolate, but that chocolate fudge pudding makes these sooooo decadent! Then, just follow the recipe for the remaining ingredients. These would make adorable chocolate bunnies!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Start with carrot cake box mix in place of the white cake mix. Follow the recipe for doctored cake below, but add 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup shredded coconut, and 1/2 cup crushed pineapple to the recipe. These carrot cupcakes would be perfect decorated as bunnies!

Key Lime Cupcakes

Replace white cake mix with lemon cake mix. Replace the vanilla pudding with a 3oz box of lime jello. Follow the recipe for the rest of the ingredients. These cupcakes are just the lightest shade of green, so you can add a touch of green food coloring as well, if you’d like to bring out that color for the cutest cupcakes ever!

Lemon Cupcakes

 This feels like the quintessential easter cupcake recipe. Start with a lemon box mix in place of the white cake mix. Replace the vanilla pudding with lemon pudding, then follow the recipe for the rest of the ingredients. These cupcakes have a very light color, so feel free to add a few drops of yellow food coloring to make them pop. Wouldn’t these be just the cutest with the chick design? 

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

I served these delicious cupcakes at my wedding (We also served the key lime and lemon cupcakes above!), so I know they’re good! Start with a strawberry cake mix, then replace the vanilla pudding with cheesecake pudding. Follow the rest of the recipe as written. I would pair this flavor with the flowers design. 

More Easter Desserts

Sprinkle Egg Easter Cake

Bunny Cut Up Cake

Chick Cut Up Cake

Storing, Freezing, and Thawing

Storing: You can store your cute cupcakes in an airtight container for 3-5 days. In humid climates, they may get soggy, so you may want to store them in the fridge and avoid that problem!

Freezing: Don’t freeze fully decorated cupcakes. Some of the decorations (marshmallow, I’m looking at you!) don’t come back well from being frozen. However if you’d like to freeze the unfrosted or frosted cupcakes, you can wrap them individually in saran wrap, then place them in an airtight, freezer safe container. They’ll keep for up to 3 months. 

Thawing: Remove cupcakes from the freezer and leave them on the counter for 3-4 hours, or until they come back to room temperature.