Easter Cupcake Ideas

What could be better than a cupcake that's a full-sized cake? How about it being chocolate with the addition of mini semisweet chocolate chips?

You can make it with Wilton's Dimensions Giant Cupcake Pan. A delicious creation in irresistible 3-D, it makes an Easter party an instant hit!

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons instant coffee
• 1/2 Cup water, boiling
• 1/2 Cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon salt
• 3 sticks butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 Cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 Cup sour cream
• 1 Cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and flour Dimensions Giant Cupcake Pan or use pan spray with flour to prepare pan.
• In small bowl, dissolve instant coffee in water; stir in cocoa powder and mix well. Set aside to cool.
• Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla; mix well. Combine cocoa mixture and sour cream. Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating after each addition until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon 4 1/2 cups batter into top of cupcake pan; spoon remaining batter into bottom of pan.
• Bake 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 15 minutes.
• Turn cake onto wire rack to cool completely.
  
  
• To assemble cupcake, ice top of cake's bottom half. Place top half of cake atop iced bottom half. Decorate as desired. Makes about 12 servings from 1 giant cupcake!

If you need to whip up a batch of Easter cupcakes for a school party or quick holiday treat, try some of these ideas!

• Jellybeans in the Grass Cupcake: Tint frosting green, ice cupcakes, and add jellybeans on top.

• Peep Cupcakes: Plop a Marshmallow Chick Peep on top of a cupcake!

• Easter Basket Cupcake: Tint frosting a bright color and add little candies, such as M&Ms, on top. Bend a green licorice stick into a arch and insert the ends into the cupcake as a basket handle.

• Chocolate Bunny Cupcakes: Top a chocolate-frosted cupcake with a mini chocolate bunny.