2008 Easter Cupcake Decorating Ideas

Easter is early this year on March 23^rd and I have been thinking up cupcake decorating ideas for this Easter season. For all my cupcake decorating ideas, I keep three things in mind: Quick, Easy and Kid Friendly. After all, as a busy parent three boys, I don't have a lot of time that allows me to spend hours in the kitchen and I'm sure that most parents with young children would agree with that. I try to spend as little time in the kitchen decorating because I know it will only be a moment before my young children need me. These ideas are designed with you, the busy parent in mind. Buying pre-made goodies from the store is all well and good and is even fun in itself but there is just something about decorating your own cupcakes and then watching your kids faces light up as they ask "Did you do that?" So without further ado, here are three 2008 Easter Cupcake Decorating ideas. Just keep in mind that they don't have to look professional, they just have to look fun!

2008 Easter Cupcake Decorating Ideas #1: Chick with Eggs Cupcake

To save time, use a box cake mix and already made frosting. You will need Peeps Chicks, yellow tube of Dec A Cake Yellow Icing, Decorating Tips for the Dec A Cake Icing Tubes (you can buy these in the grocery store right next to the Dec A Cake gels and icings), Bag of Malted Ball Robin Eggs, Green or Yellow Food Coloring (optional) and green sprinkles (optional). I used white frosting and dyed it green but you can dye your frosting yellow to look like a bird's next. I opted to make it look like my Chick was on grass. After I dyed my frosting green, I used one of my decorating tips ( I recommend the one that goes in a thin line OR the one that makes flowers) and made a swirl pattern around the edges. The yellow contrasts very nicely with the green frosting. Then I put a Peeps Chick at the edge and put two malted ball robin eggs to look like the Chick was on the grass with it's eggs. For an additional touch, you can add a few green sprinkles to the top. When Peeps Chicks are taken apart from each other, there is a white spot on the side. To cover this up, use a tiny bit of your yellow Dec A Cake icing and smear it over the spot. It blends in and when it's dried, you can hardly tell that it's a covered up spot.

2008 Easter Cupcake Decorating Ideas #2: Miniature Easter Eggs in Nest Cupcakes

While these could be made on a full size version cupcake, miniature cupcakes really make an adorable treat. You can buy miniature cupcake tins and cupcake liners at stores like Target or Walmart. In addition to the cupcakes and frosting, you will need malted ball Robin eggs, yellow Dec A Cake icing in a tube and an decorating tip that comes out in a straight line. After you frost your cupcakes, arrange three malted ball Robin eggs in the center. Now put your decorating tip on your yellow icing and do a bird's nest pattern around the edges of the cupcake. By the time you're done, you'll have a nest full of eggs just waiting to hatch.

2008 Easter Cupcake Decorating Ideas #3: Bunny Cupcake

For the bunny cupcake, you'll need some kind of candy or cookie that resembles bunny ears. There isn't really anything that looks like pointed ears so you'll have to go with rounded if you can't find anything pointed. I recommend using orange circus peanuts (they're a candy, not really peanuts) or Pepperidge Farms Milano cookies for the ears. For a more "authentic" bunny look, you can use marshmallows by cutting them in half and dying the insides pink. For the eyes, you can use any small candy you want; jellybeans, M&M's, Skittles etc. The nose can also be a piece of small candy but make sure it's a different color so it won't blend in with the eyes. You don't need to have a mouth for these but if you do want a mouth, it's easier to use black Dec A Cake gel for it. Small marshmallows make adorable chubby checks. Coconut can make bunny whiskers. You can dye the frosting any color you'd like but I recommend a pastel color for Easter such as light green, light pink, light purple or even light blue. What I really like about Bunny cupcakes is that you can do whatever you want with them. Go to the candy section at the grocery store and use your imagination while deciding on what fun Easter bunny you want to make for your Easter party.