Easy Pastel Spring Cupcakes For Easter
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Festive, fun Spring Cupcakes. Silky homemade buttercream atop tender vanilla, pastel-colored cupcakes. Gorgeous for Easter, birthdays, even baby showers!
Craving more Easter goodies? Dive into our lineup for a taste of springtime bliss with treats like Easy Spring Cookies with Easter M&Ms, Easter Bundt Cake with tri-colored batter, delightful Mandarin Orange Cake, and Lemon-Filled Easter Bunny Cupcakes.
Table of Contents
Fun Spring Cupcakes For Anytime!
From patriotic celebrations to the joyful Christmas season, our love for tri-color and marble cupcakes has been unwavering. Naturally, we had to bring that joy to Easter with these delightful Spring Cupcakes in pretty pink, blue, and yellow! Check out why these pastel pastries are perfect for your next celebration:
- Whimsical Touch – Bring a touch of playfulness to family gatherings with delightfully colored spring cupcakes.
- Picture Perfect – They are as pretty to look at as they are tasty.
- Homemade Wholesome – Simple baking basics.
- Simple Technique – Only two extra bowls and some food coloring are needed to create pretty, pastel-marbled cupcakes.
- Spring Pastels – Soft-hued colors are ideal for Easter gatherings, baby showers, or simply adding a cheerful touch to your day.
- Party Palette – Personalize multi-colored cupcakes to coordinate with your party themes.
Ingredients
For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
For Pastel Vanilla Cupcakes:
- All-Purpose Flour – carefully measure flour with the fluff, spoon, and level method for the correct density and moisture balance.
- Baking Powder – check the expiration date. Baking powder must be fully reactive to produce a light and airy crumb.
- Salt
- Butter – Softened to room temperature.
- Sugar – White granulated
- Large Eggs- room temperature
- Vanilla Extract – pure extract provides the best flavor.
- Whole Milk – room temperature.
- Pastel Gel Food Coloring – (I used yellow, pink, and blue)
How To Measure Flour Properly: Did you know THE WAY you measure flour matters? The most precise way to measure your flour is by weight using a digital kitchen scale. 1 cup of flour weighs 125 to 130 grams. If you don’t have a scale measure your flour by scooping flour with a spoon into the cup. Don’t use your measuring cup as a scoop, as it packs the flour down and gives a different measure.
Easy Homemade Buttercream Frosting:
- Unsalted Butter – soften
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract (Optional)
- Whole Milk – Or half & half, cream, or whipping cream
Holiday Garnish:
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How To Make Pastel Springtime Cupcakes
Enjoy the colors of spring with each bite of light and airy vanilla cupcakes in soft pastel hues and homemade buttercream frosting. You’ll need the following kitchen tools:
- Mixing Bowls
- Electric Mixer
- 1.5 tablespoon Cookie Scoop or measuring spoon
- Toothpicks
- Cupcake Pan
- Cupcake Wrappers
- Cooling Rack
When you are making this recipe, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.
For Spring Multi-Colored Cupcakes:
- Whisk dry ingredients.
- Beat butter and sugar until fluffy, add eggs and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients, milk, and mix until combined.
- Divide cupcake batter into three bowls, ~1 ⅔ cups each, and mix in gel color.
- Add 1½ tablespoons of each color batter into the cupcake wrappers and swirl gently with a toothpick for a marbled cupcake.
- Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and allow them to cool on a wire rack.*
*Baker’s Tip:
To prevent gummy or soggy-bottomed pastel cupcakes, always use a wire rack to cool cupcakes. Cupcakes left to cool in the pan or on a flat surface will steam and become soggy. Wire racks let air circulate freely as the cupcakes cool, preventing this problem.
For Buttercream Icing From Scratch:
- Cream butter with an electric mixer
- Incorporate the remaining ingredients at low speed.
- Increase to high until creamy and smooth.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes using a knife or piping bag and tip.
- Garnish with mini chocolate Easter eggs and pastel sprinkles for a cute Easter cupcake decoration.
Recipe Notes/Tips
- Only mix the cupcake batter until it is just combined. Overmixing develops gluten and can make cupcakes tough.
- Enjoy getting creative with a variety of pastel hues by using food coloring to complement your Easter theme.
- Gently swirl the tri-colored cupcake batters in the liners using a toothpick or skewer to create a delightful marbled effect. You can also opt to layer the colored batters if you prefer.
- Get the hot cupcakes out of the pans quickly, especially in humid conditions, to avoid letting the steam build-up and prevent the wrappers from becoming gummy or oily in appearance.
- If the buttercream is too thick, you can add a little more milk. If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar until you achieve the desired consistency.
- Add a pinch of salt to the buttercream if the frosting is too sweet.
How To Store These Cupcakes
- Cupcakes can only be stored AFTER they are completely cooled, or you will be fighting gummy tops and/or soggy bottoms.
- Store pastel cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.*
- Surprisingly, cupcakes in the fridge tend to dry out more than a cupcake that is frozen and then defrosted.
- To freeze cupcakes, wrap them individually and place them on a cookie sheet to freeze. Keep wrapped spring cupcakes in an airtight container or heavy-duty freezer ziptop bag for up to 3 months.
- Cupcakes won’t hard freeze, so it’s best to not place heavy items on them or try to squeeze them in a freezer space.
*NOTE: Cupcakes are enjoyed and the best quality when served in 1-2 days. When making Spring cupcakes more than two days in advance for time management purposes, plan to freeze them until the day of or the day before your event. Allow to completely defrost before frosting.
Cupcake Recipe FAQs
We prefer homemade vanilla extract or Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract. Pure vanilla extract lasts for years, making it a worthwhile investment for not just cupcakes but for all of your baked goods. Go ahead, splurge a little, you won’t be sorry.
Fill your cupcake liners about two-thirds to three-quarters full (unless your recipe states otherwise). This allows the cupcakes to rise evenly without overflowing during baking, ensuring a perfect, fluffy result.
Of course! Use any flavored extracts you desire. You can even prepare a white or yellow boxed cake mix, divide the batter, and dye it in your preferred colors, following the rest of the instructions.
Yes, you can bake Spring cupcakes in advance and store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate them for longer freshness.
Cupcake Easter Decorating Ideas:
- Divide and portion buttercream into thirds, creating frosting in different colors.
- Frost Easter cupcake tops in different colors and garnish.
- Tint shredded coconut with green food color for Easter grass.
- Put brown buttercream frosting in a plastic bag and cut a tiny corner to pipe a small “nest” of branches for mini Easter eggs.
- Forgo food coloring – lightly toasted coconut shreds can also make a bird’s nest decoration for cupcakes.
Pastel Spring Cupcakes
Ingredients
For Pastel Vanilla Cupcakes:
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (270 g)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (12 tablespoons or 1 ½ sticks) butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temp
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk, room temp
- Pastel gel food coloring (I used yellow, pink, and blue)
For the Buttercream Icing:
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 3-4 tablespoons whole milk
Holiday Garnish:
- Easter/pastel-colored sprinkles
- Mini chocolate eggs
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line cupcake pans with cupcake wrappers.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat softened butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Add eggs one by one, mixing well each time. Add vanilla extract.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with milk. Mix on medium speed just until combined.
- Split the batter into three bowls (about 1 ⅔ cups each). Add gel food coloring to each for the desired color.
- Using a cookie scoop (or measuring spoon) add 1½ tablespoons of each color batter into each of the cupcake liners. Swirl the batters together very lightly using a toothpick or butter knife for a marbled look.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and allow them to cool on a wire rack.
- For the icing: With an electric mixer beat the butter on medium speed with the paddle attachment until creamy (about 2 minutes)
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, milk, and extracts beating on low. Then, beat on high speed until creamy and smooth (at least 3 minutes).
- Frost cooled cupcakes with a generous layer of icing using a knife or piping bag and tip.
- Decorate with pastel sprinkles and mini chocolate eggs for a cute finish!
Notes
- Store cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Have fun experimenting with different colors using gel food coloring to match your occasion.
- If the buttercream is too thick, add a little more milk. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar until you achieve the desired consistency. You can also Add a pinch of salt if the frosting is too sweet.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 433Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 203mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 1gSugar: 42gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin, and freshness of ingredients used and are just estimates. We encourage, especially if these numbers are important to you, to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
Hi there, I'm Cheryl!
As a wife, mom, and caffeine enthusiast, my journey has taken me from bustling mornings with my family to sharing delicious recipes, home care tips, and heartfelt decorating insights with wonderful readers like you. My love for baking, photography, and tidiness shines through every post I craft. Dive into my world and discover the art of homemaking, one tidy moment at a time. Read more...
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