Easter Basket Cupcakes

This recipe caught my eye several years ago when my first son was less than a year old. That year I made it for the children of some friends of mine, and since then it’s been a favorite Easter treat in our house as well.

This recipe can be “doctored” any way that pleases the maker! The original recipe calls for a cake mix, but I’ve made it from scratch as well. If you make it from scratch, omit the pudding and extra ingredients. Focus instead on frosting and toppings.

In the interest of full disclosure, we rarely make these as written, typically omitting the candy, although one does make a pretty centerpiece! You can also skip the waffle bowls and make these in traditional muffin tins. They are quite large when made as directed, and one cake can easily be shared between 2 people.

Easter Basket Cupcakes

Adapted from Cupcakes! From the Cake Mix Doctor.

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

Waffle bowls (10 or so)
1 package (18.25 oz) plain white cake mix
1 package (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
Buttercream frosting

Baskets:

3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Green food coloring
Jelly beans
Twizzlers

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wrap the outside of each waffle bowl in aluminum foil, tucking the edges of the foil just inside the top of the bowl. Place the bowls on a cookie sheet and set aside.

2. Place the cake mix, pudding, milk, oil, eggs, and egg whites in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds or so. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue blending on medium for another 2 minutes. Fill each waffle bowl with 1/2 cup or so of batter.

3. Bake the cupcakes for 25 minutes or until they test done. Let the cakes cool for five minutes then carefully remove the foil and continue cooling to room temperature.

4. While you wait, prepare your favorite frosting!

5. Place the coconut in a plastic bag with several drops of food coloring (I use this and recommend mixing to make green before adding to the coconut). Shake well until the coconut turns green. Add more coloring as needed.

6. To assemble, frost each cupcake then immediately sprinkle on coconut to resemble grass and place a pile of jelly beans on the middle to resemble eggs. To create the basket handle, shape one Twizzler into the correct shape and insert it into the cupcake.

7. Serve and enjoy!

Easter Bread Redux

I’ve been making this Easter Bread since 2007.

This recipe appeared in the Mexico Independent Mirror March 31, 2007. It is time intensive, but so worth it! I don’t have many pictures detailing each step of the process, as I don’t make this until Holy Saturday (tomorrow), but I do have a few pictures from several years ago. I’ll add more pictures later, but I wanted this posted before the holiday in case anyone would like to make it for Sunday.

Easter Bread

Ingredients

12 eggs in shell, uncooked
Egg coloring
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
Grated peel of two fresh lemons
1/2 cup warm water, 110-115 degrees
2 packages active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
2 eggs at room temperature
4 1/2 cups white flour
1 whole egg at room temperature

Directions

1. Color uncooked eggs and set aside. (Do this very carefully if kids are helping!)

2. Scald milk. Add sugar, salt, butter, and lemon zest. Set aside milk mixture to cool to lukewarm.

3. Sprinkle yeast into water and stir to dissolve.

4. Add milk mixture to yeast and water. Add two eggs.

5. Add 2 1/2 cups flour and beat until smooth.

6. Slowly stir in remaining 2 cups of flour, a little at a time, until a dough forms that is easy to handle.

7. Turn dough onto lightly floured board, knead until light and elastic, about 5-8 minutes.

8. Place dough into lightly greased bowl, turn over so the top is greased.

9. Cover with a clean towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

10. Punch the dough down.

11. Cover and let rise again until almost doubled, about 1/2 hour.

12. Divide dough into 4 parts. Form each part into a rope 36 inches long. On greased baking sheets, shape two of the ropes into a very loosely braided ring leaving space for 6 eggs. Repeat with other two ropes.

13. Insert 6 eggs in spaces in each ring. Cover and let rise until doubled, 1/2 hour. The bread will rise and surround the eggs.

14. Beat whole egg and brush it on the bread. Optional: sprinkle with tiny colored candies.

15. Bake at 375, until lightly brown. Serve warm or refrigerate overnight and reheat in a moderate over for 8 minutes.

Happy Easter!

Wood Easter Eggs

I came across an idea for an alternative to the "traditional" plastic Easter egg hunt this that I thought was so simple, yet brilliant!

Wood eggs that the children can paint after the hunt! This will avoid both the plastic and the candy of the holiday-- not to mention creating a lovely keepsake!

We are definitely going to be doing this in our house, and I'm going to try to pitch the idea to my MOMS Club as well. At least we can mix the wood with the plastic, candy-filled eggs so each child can paint one or two. Since I'm hosting the Easter party/hunt/craft this year, I think it'll work!

Wood eggs of all different sizes, can be found here.