Easter Treats for kids : Basket Cupcakes

by TurkeyMom in Kitchen Tales

Ages3–8 yrs

Prep1 hr 10 min

Activity20 min

Leveleasy

MessMedium

Works for1:1 · Small group · Class

Bake rainbow-swirl cupcakes from a boxed cake mix, then frost them and top with green-tinted coconut 'grass', jelly bean 'eggs' and a licorice handle to turn each one into a little Easter basket. Kids can do most of the coloring and decorating.

⚠️ Safety first

Adult handles the oven and hot cupcake pan.
Jelly beans and licorice can be choking hazards for young children. Supervise closely and use your judgment for toddlers and preschoolers.
This is real food to eat. Before serving to a group, check every child's allergies and your school's food policy. Coconut, wheat in licorice and cake mix, egg and dairy in batter and frosting, corn syrup in candy, and food dyes are all possible.
Everyone washes hands before baking and decorating.
Food coloring can stain hands, clothes and counters.

Before the kids arrive

Check allergies and food rules for every child before planning to serve.
For a class or big group, an adult can bake and cool the cupcakes ahead, so kids only frost and decorate.
Tint the coconut green ahead if time at the table is short.

Steps

Make the cake batter following the directions on the box.
Split the batter into small cups and stir a different food color into each cup.
Gently mix the colored portions back together into one batter and spoon it into the cupcake liners.
Adult: bake the cupcakes following the box directions, then let them cool completely.
Spread frosting on top of each cooled cupcake.
Mix shredded coconut with a few drops of green food coloring and a little water to make Easter grass.
Press the green grass onto the frosting. The frosting works like glue.
Add jelly beans on top for the eggs.
Bend a licorice twist into an arch and push both ends into the cupcake for the basket handle.

Tips

Easy is my motto when it comes to baking with kids. These need only a handful of ingredients.from the author
You can stick to typical Easter colors, but my kid wanted rainbow colors and that's what we did.from the author
The frosting acts as glue to hold the coconut grass and jelly beans in place.from the author
It's tricky having a 4 year old in the kitchen, but it's worth it just to see how much she enjoys baking.from the author