Not only are they adorable, but these Easter Cupcakes taste absolutely delicious, they will remind you of hostess snowballs! from scratch chocolate cupcakes topped with a mouthwatering homemade marshmallow frosting making them the perfect dessert this Easter!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
These Easter Cupcakes are the kind of dessert that instantly makes a spring table feel cheerful and festive. The cupcakes themselves are incredibly soft and moist with a rich chocolate flavor that pairs perfectly with the fluffy marshmallow topping. The light marshmallow frosting is sweet, airy, and almost cloud like, which balances beautifully with the deep chocolate cupcake underneath. When the cupcakes are rolled in colorful shredded coconut, they turn into the cutest little Easter treats that look like fluffy nests or pastel spring pom poms.
Another reason this recipe is so special is how fun it is to decorate. Tinting the coconut in soft Easter colors like pink, yellow, and blue gives each cupcake a bright pop of color that looks beautiful on a dessert tray. They are perfect for Easter brunch, spring parties, school celebrations, or simply baking something festive with the family. Kids especially love helping roll the marshmallow topping in the colored coconut.
Even though these cupcakes look bakery worthy, the recipe itself is surprisingly simple to make. The batter comes together quickly with pantry staples, and the marshmallow topping whips up into a glossy, fluffy frosting that feels extra special without being overly complicated. The result is a homemade dessert that feels both nostalgic and impressive at the same time.
Best of all, these cupcakes stay wonderfully soft and moist, making them perfect for baking ahead of time for holiday gatherings. Whether you’re serving them at Easter dinner, bringing them to a spring party, or just making something fun for your family, these colorful cupcakes are guaranteed to bring smiles.
Make these sweet and cute Cupcakes that look like cute little bunny butts and taste even better. They’re the perfect treat to enjoy after having a tasty homemade Easter dinner.
Personal Kitchen Notes
These cupcakes have become one of those fun spring desserts I look forward to making every year. The first time I made them, I loved how simple chocolate cupcakes could be transformed into something so festive just by adding the fluffy marshmallow topping and colorful coconut. They always remind me of those sweet little Easter desserts you’d see in bakery windows growing up.
One thing I’ve learned after making them a few times is that the marshmallow topping works best when the cupcakes are completely cooled. If the cupcakes are even slightly warm, the topping can soften too much and the coconut won’t stick as nicely. Once the cupcakes are cool, the marshmallow mixture spreads easily and creates that fluffy mound on top that holds the coconut perfectly.
Tinting the coconut is one of my favorite parts of this recipe because it makes the cupcakes look so bright and cheerful. I usually keep one bowl of coconut white and color the others in soft pastel shades so the tray looks like a mix of little Easter nests. They always look beautiful arranged together on a serving platter.
These cupcakes also make a wonderful make ahead dessert. I often bake the cupcakes earlier in the day and decorate them closer to serving time. The chocolate cupcakes stay incredibly moist, and the marshmallow topping holds its fluffy texture nicely.
And honestly, the hardest part about this recipe is not sneaking a cupcake before they make it to the dessert table. The combination of rich chocolate cake, fluffy marshmallow topping, and sweet coconut is just one of those classic flavors that always disappears quickly in our house.
This homemade marshmallow frosting is to-die-for delicious!
Hostess Cupcakes
When you want to make a homemade treat for Easter, try these Easter Cupcakes. They’re adorable and have the appearance of a fuzzy bunny butt. While they look good, they taste even better and have such a sweet, incredible flavor with the moist homemade chocolate cake and a sweet marshmallow and coconut topping. Instead of buying a pre-made dessert, try these cupcakes that are easy enough to prepare in less than an hour!
Why You’ll Love These Cupcakes for Easter
These Hostess copycat Cupcakes taste amazing! They’re loaded with flavor from the cocoa powder, espresso, coconut, and other tasty ingredients used to prepare the cake and topping.
These cupcakes look great. Kids will love them, but adults can enjoy them as much as children!
They’re the perfect treat to serve as a dessert on Easter while spending time with loved ones.
Coconut Cupcakes Ingredients
Prepare these sweet, fluffy pastel cupcakes with the following ingredients:
All-Purpose Flour – Start with the flour as the base for the cake batter.
Granulated Sugar – Give these cupcakes a sweet touch with some granulated sugar.
Baking Powder – Use baking powder to ensure your cupcakes are baked to perfection.
Espresso Powder – Although optional, this powder enhances the overall taste of these cupcakes.
Milk – Add milk into the bowl with flour, sugar, and other ingredients for flavor.
Vanilla Extract– Enhance the taste of these cupcakes even further with a touch of vanilla extract.
You’ll also need an egg, boiling water, baking soda, and unsweetened cocoa powder for the cupcakes. Once you’ve prepared the cupcakes, you’ll need granulated sugar, light corn syrup, water, egg whites, more vanilla extract, shredded sweet coconut, and food coloring to prepare the topping.
When should I prepare the topping for these cupcakes?
While the cupcakes are cooling down after you’ve removed them from the oven, it’s the best time to prepare the marshmallow topping.
Will I need special equipment?
No, you won’t need a lot of special equipment to prepare these Easter Cupcakes. You can use a stand mixer with bowls and whisk attachment. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can still prepare these cupcakes using a traditional bowl with a hand mixer.
Do I need to add the topping to these cupcakes while they’re still warm?
No! Make sure you’re allowing your cupcakes to cool down after you’ve removed them from the oven. You want to apply the topping once they’ve cooled down completely to keep it from melting and seeping into the cupcake.
Can I make these cupcakes with vanilla cake batter?
Yes. If you don’t want to use cocoa powder or espresso, you don’t have to. You can prepare vanilla cake batter or any other cake flavor that you prefer. You can also add extras to your batter, including sprinkles, white chocolate mini morsels, chopped nuts, and more.
Recipe Notes & Tips
Use a cookie scoop when scooping out the marshmallow topping to add to your cupcakes. It makes it so much easier to distribute an even amount of the topping to the cupcakes.
You can add extra ingredients to your cake batter, such as mini chocolate chip morsels. Of course, this is optional and totally up to you. Use your discretion while preparing the cake batter to make it the way you like it.
Use a toothpick to check your cupcakes to see if they’re done. If the toothpick doesn’t come out clean, you’ll know that they need to bake for a few more minutes before you remove them.
How to Store the Easter Cupcakes
After preparing these cupcakes, store them in an airtight container and leave them at room temperature. You can place them on the kitchen or dining room table. You also have the option of placing them in the fridge to keep them cold and fresh until you’re ready to serve them to your loved ones.
Prepare a flavorful treat to eat with your family for Easter with this recipe for Hostess Cupcakes. They’re fun and easy enough to make and delicious to eat. You’ll love this simple recipe and so will everyone else at the dinner table!
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Easter Cupcakes
Ingredients
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Bake Time: 13 minutes
Cupcakes:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder optional
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup boiling water
Marshmallow Topping:
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
- Pink yellow, and blue food color
Instructions
Cupcakes:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. and prepare a muffin tin by lining with cupcake liners and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a whisk attachment, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder (if using), and whisk until combined.
- In a large glass measuring cup, add the vegetable oil, egg, milk, and vanilla and whisk to combine. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- With the mixer on low speed, carefully pour in the boiling water and mix on low until incorporated. Slowly increase the speed to high for 1-2 minutes.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake liners.
- Fill the liners about halfway full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 10-13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes come out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Topping/Assembly:
- While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the marshmallow topping by adding ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, light corn syrup, and water into a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle boil stirring constantly. Heat the mixture until it reaches 240 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, add ¼ cup sugar and egg whites and whisk until glossy and stiff. With the mixture on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup mixture into the egg whites. Once all combined, mix on high until very stiff.
- Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Separate the shredded coconut into 4 separate bowls. Tint three of the bowl with pink, yellow, and blue food color and leave one white.
- Use a large cookie scoop to scoop out the marshmallow mixture onto a cupcake and carefully dip the top into the coconut being sure to coat evenly.
- Repeat with all the cupcakes.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature or refrigerate until ready to serve.
- ENJOY!
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