42 Easter Cupcakes That Are Easy to Make *and* Adorable

• Time Commitment: 4 hours
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 24

"The key to these cupcakes' sweetness and moist texture is the inclusion of canned crushed pineapple and ultra-ripe bananas," former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen says. "If you don't have a bunch of almost-rotten bananas at the ready, you can bring out their natural sweetness by roasting them in a 300°F oven for about 15 minutes." On that note, don't be spooked by the 4-hour total time commitment: Most of it is dedicated to drying the pineapple flower garnish. Prepare the fruity blooms ahead to save you time on Easter Sunday.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 12

Finally, the darling strawberry is in season again. What better way to celebrate than with this dessert mashup? (The homemade brown sugar-strawberry filling is a total game-changer.) "The biscuit-like batter is poured into a muffin tin and filled with lightly sweetened fresh strawberries," former PureWow food editor Heath Goldman writes. "Then, the finished cupcakes are topped with whipped cream and, of course, more berries."

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
• Serves: 12

They taste like strawberry clouds and take less time to make than an episode of The Great British Bake-Off. Need I say more? The frosting gets its blush hue from crushed, freeze-dried berries instead of food dye. "They also bake really fast, unlike traditional angel food cakes, which can take over an hour," recipe developer Erin McDowell adds.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 12

I can’t decide what I love most: the chocolate cookie “dirt,” the bunny booties or the 20-minute baking time. (OK, it's definitely the coconut-coated booties.) This triple threat is one for the books—and your picky eaters will gobble them up at first glance.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead, kid-friendly
• Serves: 18

I bet you never thought to stuff chocolate carrot cake with Nutella, or to make chocolate carrot cake in the first place. (Or to bake cupcakes in terra-cotta pots...) Did I mention the milkshake-inspired malted cream cheese frosting?

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
• Serves: 24

Much like those goodie-filled plastic eggs your kids love so much, these Easter cupcakes have a tasty secret. Cut one in half and they'll find a rabbit hopping out of its hiding spot. (The secret is filling the cupcake liners in stages and placing a vibrant pink, bunny-shaped cake ball in the center.)

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 14

No eggs, no dairy, no problem. Better yet, these fruity Easter cupcakes only require seven ingredients to come together. And no one will know they’re plant-based, since applesauce and palm shortening ensure moist, tender results without the help of eggs or butter.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 24

Green-dyed sweetened coconut shreds = the tastiest edible grass you'll ever see. The spring-colored peanut M&M's on top make these Easter cupcakes that much more festive. Let the kids' table decorate their own batch to keep them occupied between egg dyeing and the egg hunt.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

If you’re not familiar with Miffy the rabbit, I suggest blocking off a few hours to do an internet deep dive. You’ll be smitten—especially if you're noshing on these cream cheese icing-topped handhelds while you research. (These also have serious baby shower vibes, if you ask me.)

• Time Commitment: 2 hours (includes cooling)
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 12

It’s Easter, so carrot cake is kind of a given. Kick these minis up a notch (without a ton of extra effort) by finishing them with a sprinkle of toasted coconut flakes—or pastel sprinkles. Stud them with golden raisins or chopped nuts too for texture.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 24

Which would you rather eat: humdrum chocolate eggs or these decadent handhelds? In case you need help mulling it over, these Easter cupcakes are soaked in milk, coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk before being frosted, in the style of tres leches cake.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 12

The tangy frosting is just the thing to complement these lightly floral cakes, while the non-treated lavender sprigs are a pretty, timely garnish. (There's also lavender extract in the batter for good measure—it doesn't get spring-ier than that.)

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 24

A word to the wise: Soak a few fresh rosemary sprigs in the milk overnight to add a ton of herbal flavor to the batter. If you can't find Meyer lemons for these Easter cupcakes, simply substitute regular ones—as long as you don't mind the dessert turning out a bit tarter.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 12

Consider these cuties edible Easter baskets for adults. Each cupcake is crowned with a Ghirardelli milk chocolate-caramel bunny, in case the buttermilk base, edible grass and vanilla frosting aren't enticing enough.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: gluten free, vegan, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 12

If you're not too into kitschy decorations, let the season's flavors inspire your menu instead. (Oh, and you'll want to make a double batch of the lemon buttercream for spreading on...well, just about everything.)

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 18

I wouldn’t mind finding a patch of these in my garden. And while they look totally fancy, the elegant mascarpone frosting design is totally within reach for newbies, as long as they have the right star tip for piping it on. It's worth the effort, I promise.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 12

I have a feeling the kids at your celebration will scarf these Easter cupcakes down in mere seconds after the egg hunt. Might I suggest using Peeps instead of regular marshmallows? (Or better yet, starting with boxed brownie mix instead of making you own?)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 10

If I can't crack open a plastic egg and find a $20 bill inside, I'll settle for cake. Store the leftover egg yolks and whites to use in homemade carbonara, hollandaise, homemade ice cream, mayonnaise and other rich, sweet or savory recipes.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes
• Serves: 4 cups frosting

You can't buy a bouquet like *this* at your local flower shop. And while it looks impressive, it's quite doable with the right consistency of frosting and a rainbow of food gels. Finish the Easter cupcakes with white sugar pearls for a delicate aesthetic, and use whatever cupcakes you'd like (I'm partial to lemon and vanilla).

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, kid-friendly
• Serves: 24

Use banana and carrot together in the batter for an ultra-moist Easter cupcake. Whether you opt for Cadbury Mini Eggs or malted chocolate eggs as a finishing touch, you truly can’t go wrong with either. (The tangy frosting is the real star anyway.)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 24

These Easter cupcakes will win over your kids, and the recipe is easy enough for them to help too—what's not to like? My favorite feature is that it starts with boxed cake mix for minimal fuss. Have plenty of pastel sprinkles on deck for decorating.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead, kid-friendly
• Serves: 24

The floppy ears are nothing but cookie-cutter slices of fresh fruit, like pineapple, mango, cantaloupe and apple. ("You could use just about any firm fruit for the ears that you can get a quarter-inch thick slice from with at least a three-inch diameter," recipe creator Danielle Green adds.) As for the Easter cupcakes' base, it's boxed white cake mix.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 12 to 15

Simple, sophisticated and scrumptious, they're flavored with fresh lemon juice and lemon extract. For a low-maintenance dessert that's still festive, pick up a pack of flower petal cupcake liners to serve these Easter cupcakes in.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 12

Sure, dyeing eggs is a traditional activity for the occasion. but I'm all about coloring Easter cupcakes this year, TYVM. (And I have a feeling your kids will want to get in on the fun, too.) "If you'd like to do the rainbow swirl frosting, add a few colors on top of the cupcake and gently swirl with your knife, just a few times," recipe creator Jessica Merchant advises.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes (plus baking time)
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 2.5 cups frosting

Feel free to start with your favorite boxed cake mix—these beauties are all about the gorgeous frosting toppers. The roses are easier to make than you think, but if you mess up or it doesn't look perfect too you, follow recipe creator Sally McKenney's lead and fix it with a flourish of sprinkles.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 4

You can never go wrong with chocolate, even in the spring. This ingenious recipe only makes four Easter cupcakes, so you'll have just enough for your intimate family gathering (and no leftovers to "accidentally" demolish before bed). Best of all, you only need to dirty one mixing bowl to pull it off.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 12

Sour cream and lime juice offer tang to the Easter cupcakes, while fresh blackberry purée infuses the frosting with sweet-tart splendor. "You can refrigerate them for up to three days, but they should come to room temperature again before serving," recipe creator Jocelyn Delk Adams says. "If unfrosted, you can wrap and freeze these cupcakes for up to two months." Use coconut milk instead of whole milk in the batter to up the tropical ante.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: vegan, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
• Serves: 12

I'm so down with the plant-based honey buttercream frosting (FYI, vegan honey is totally a thing), but I really fell hard for the crunchy addition of ice cream cones. They add texture to the dessert *and* save you the task of washing a few dirty bowls. That's a win-win in my book.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 12

Your favorite Girl Scout cookie, in cupcake form. It's topped with vanilla frosting that gets coated in toasted coconut flakes, then drizzled with caramel and chocolate sauces. They'll disappear in about one minute flat—you've been warned.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 8

No celebration is complete without sprinkles, and this sweet-and-salty confection is just the ticket. Ring in spring with confetti Easter cupcakes topped with pink frosting and jelly bean-pretzel butterflies. (BTW, the frosting is dairy-free, since it's made with plant-based milk and shortening.)

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, beginner-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 12

They're only one hour and one bowl away. How is dairy-free buttercream possible, you ask? Plant-based butter, powdered sugar and almond milk make an uncanny substitute. A dash of beet purée is the key to this Easter cupcake recipe's vibrant color.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 16

This Jamaican confection-turned-Southern delicacy is loaded with banana, pineapple, pecans and cinnamon. "Instead of using a bunch of oil or butter to make a moist cupcake, I substituted some buttermilk and applesauce to save calories," recipe creator Monique Volz writes. The tangy, tropical coconut frosting merely gilds the lily.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours (includes freezing time)
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead, kid-friendly
• Serves: 12

Inspired by its delightfully sweet namesake, these Easter cupcakes are stuffed to the brim with buttery filling and crowned with two-ingredient chocolate ganache. "When you take a bite, you get a creamy (not syrupy or goopy), vanilla-sweet flavor that takes you straight to Easter-land," recipe creator Liz Capozzoli asserts. They're uber-rich and decadent, but so worth it.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 12 to 15

Complete with honey-cream cheese frosting. These Easter cupcakes are proof that sometimes, less is more. But they're also a great blank canvas for a few edible flowers (or simple citrus zest) of your choice...just saying.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 12 to 15

Get in, we're going to Florida. There's key lime juice and zest in both the cake and frosting already, but you can also fill each cupcake with key lime curd for an extra punch of sweet-tart citrus flavor, if you're feeling ambitious.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 7

All the sun-kissed splendor of pie, minus (most of) the heavy lifting. I won't tell if you decide to use store-bought lemon curd filling instead of homemade—just don't skip the toasty meringue on top. (It's undeniably the star.)

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: gluten free, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 9

Almond and coconut flours make these Easter cupcakes wheatless and delicious. The coconut-coated marshmallow bunny ears nestle neatly into the vanilla buttercream, which will hold them in place until they're devoured. Tell your guests to ready their cameras.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 16

This is what I like to call "spring in a cupcake," just in case you weren't already sold at the sight of Cadbury Mini Eggs. Every bite of this seasonal confection is equal parts soft and crisp, thanks to toasted coconut and strips of phyllo dough on top.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 12

Malt cupcakes, vanilla frosting, egg candies, chocolate bunnies and edible grass unite to create these supremely festive (and moist) treats that your kids will be delighted to find in their Easter baskets. Chalk their irresistible texture up to buttermilk in the batter.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 24

These handhelds are infused with sweet raspberry gelatin and topped with decadent raspberry buttercream. "The [gelatin-based sauce] drizzle seeps into the holes and saturates the interior of the cake," Delk Adams explains. "The result is a tender cake with a sweet, moistened center."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 12

It doesn't need to be someone's birthday for the celebration to call for vino-infused frosting and rainbow sprinkles. If you're feeling extra lazy, forego making these Easter cupcakes from scratch and use boxed confetti cake mix instead.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
• Serves: varies

Even newbies should feel confident tackling this spring-inspired dessert. All you'll need to assemble it (besides colored frosting, icing bags and frosting tips) is a ceramic pot and green tissue paper. Consider it a delicious centerpiece.