These Easy Easter Cupcakes prove that you don’t need complicated techniques or decorations to make pretty holiday treats!
These cupcakes start my perfect vanilla cupcake recipe, are then topped with delicious cream cheese frosting and pretty pastel candies from Sprouts Farmers Market.
Simple, cute, delicious… done!
This recipe was created in partnership with Sprouts Farmers Market.
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My inspiration for these pretty spring cupcakes came from my weekly visit to Sprouts Farmers Market where I discovered lots of pretty pastel candies!
If you’ve spent much of any time on my site you’ve likely noticed that I have a “thing” for pastel colored sweets.
So when I saw these adorable spring colored gummy bears and pretty pastel speckled almonds at Sprouts, I knew they had to come home with me and be added to something cute!
I love finding new products every time I shop at Sprouts. Each season I am able to find fun new treats to add to my recipes, along with all the pantry staples I need to stock up on.
For these cupcakes I used Watkins Natural Food Coloring, found at Sprouts Farmers Market.
I have a full blog post, including a simple video showing How to Frost Cupcakes if you need any tips before you get started.
The cupcakes pictured here were piped using a Wilton 1M piping tip (forever my favorite).
I baked the cupcakes in standard paper cupcake liners (you can use white or any you have on hand) and then I set the baked and cooled cupcakes into some fancier papers I’ve been hoarding for a couple years. Here’s a link to a similar set of cupcake liners.
Looking for even more pretty Easter treats?
I have a full collection of Spring and Easter Desserts HERE.
Now let’s bake!
How to Make Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour see notes
- 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup oil vegetable, canola or extra light olive oil
- 1/3 cup milk whole or low fat, but avoid fat free
- 1/3 cup sour cream full fat preferred
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- food coloring optional
Instructions
Bake the cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together with whisk, and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add eggs and beat 10-20 seconds. Add sugar and continue to beat on medium speed about 30 seconds. The mixture should be thick and fluffy. Add vanilla and oil, beat.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add about half of the flour mixture. Add the milk, then the rest of the flour and the sour cream. Beat until just combined. Scrap down the side of the bowl.
- The batter will be thin. Pour (or scoop) batter into a cupcake pan prepared with paper liners. Fill liners about 2/3 full.
- Bake cupcakes in pre-heated oven for 12-14 minutes. Watch cupcakes carefully. The cupcakes are baked when the tops have a slight dome and the tops no longer appears moist in the center. The edges should be golden brown.
Prepare frosting
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter (while still cool) until smooth.
- Add (cold) cream cheese and continue to beat until fully incorporated and smooth.
- Add powder sugar, one cup at a time, while the mixer is running.
- Continue mixing and add lemon zest, vanilla and lemon juice (and food coloring if using). Mix an additional 30 seconds, until smooth, light and fluffy.
- Frost cooled cupcakes. Check out this post and video showing How to Frost Cupcakes
Notes
Nutrition
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Happy spring baking!
Disclosure – I created this recipe in partnership with Sprouts Farmers Market. Partnering with brands I love allows me to provide you with high quality content at no cost to you. I only work with brands I use and love. All images, text and opinions are my own.
So perfect for spring and Easter!
Pastel prettiness perfect for printemps! Lovely as always!
These cupcakes are adorable! Perfect for Easter ♥