Easter cupcakes are festively designed confections, featuring Easter holiday themes, like bunnies, ducks, Easter eggs, flowers, and pastel colored grasses and designs. Easter cupcakes can be prepared using any traditional cupcake recipe containing butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and milk, and decorated with a variety of toppings, like: colored frostings, sprinkles, shreds of coconut, Easter candies, and small toys. http://www.cupcakerecipes.com/easyrecipe.htm The cupcakes can be served individually or arranged to resemble a cake. Easter cupcakes can be served at Easter themed events, like egg hunts and parties, or during Easter dinner. The recipe for Easter cupcakes can include a number of flavors and designs, offering variety to the dessert. http://www.foodnetwork.com/holidays-and-parties/cutest-ever-easter-cupcakes/pictures/index.html

Cupcakes, or Fairy Cakes as they are referred to in the United Kingdom, date back to the early 19th century, when they were baked in separate cups, and served as individual desserts. The dessert was regarded as an easy to make treat, because the ingredients were simple to remember: one cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three cups of flour, four eggs, one cup of milk, and one spoonful of soda. The ratio of ingredients was the reason cupcakes were often referred to as “number cakes.” http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/spring07/ayers/history.html

Cupcakes are a suitable dessert for any cooking skill level, as they take less preparation and less time to cook as larger cakes. Classic chocolate and vanilla are still the most preferred flavor of cupcake, but other flavors have gained in popularity, including: carrot, coffee, German chocolate, red velvet, strawberry, and yellow cake all of which can be used in recipes for Easter cupcakes. http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/10-most-popular-cupcake-flavors.htm

Easter cupcakes come in a variety of shapes and designs. The Jelly Belly website, jellybelly.com offers instructions for "Spring Basket Cupcakes . First, the cupcake is frosted using a white or pastel colored frosting. Next, one licorice stick is bent in half and stuck in each end of the cupcake. Then, some green coconut shreds and jelly beans are added to the middle of the cupcake. The end result should resemble a spring basket full of eggs and grass.Jelly Belly: Spring Basket Cupcakes

RecipeZaar has its own version of Easter basket cupcakes. Instead of using tins, the recipe suggests incorporating waffle ice cream bowls to bake the batter in. Licorice and coconut are used much the same way as they are in the Jelly Belly recipe, but the effect is much more dramatic because the "baskets" are significantly larger. These can be used as centerpieces or individual treats.RecipeZaar: Easter Basket Cupcakes

Some Easter treats that go well with Easter cupcakes are: Easter themed cookies, that come in a variety of flavors and designs, candies, and chocolates.

The Easter cookies can be prepared using any traditional cookie recipe, and decorated much like the Easter cupcakes, using colored frosting, sprinkles, colored sugar and candies. Some popular Easter cookie designs include: bunnies, ducks, and Easter eggs.http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Holidays-and-Events/Easter/Desserts/Cookies/Top.aspx

Candies and chocolates come in a variety of flavors and shapes, available during the Easter holiday. Chocolate eggs, and jelly beans can be used as decoration or served separately as an Easter treat.

• Amazon.com: Cupcakes | Cupcake Books (Sponsored)

• Google Image Search: Easter Cupcakes

• Flickr: Easter Bunny Cupcakes