Easter Bunny Cupcakes

2 large EGGS

¼ cup butter, softened to room temperature

¼ cup canola oil

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ Tbsp. baking powder

½ cup + 2 Tbsp. buttermilk

1.5 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

4.5 cups powdered sugar, sifted

5 Tbsp. heavy cream or milk

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 pinch fine table salt

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

12 large marshmallows

½ cup pink sanding sugar

24 semi-sweet mini chocolate morsels

1 Tbsp. pink fondant

PREHEAT oven to 350 F. LINE muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.
COMBINE butter, canola oil and sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer. MIX until well combined and creamy.
ADD eggs, one at a time. MIX well after each addition. STIR in vanilla extract.
WHISK together flour, baking powder and salt in a separate medium bowl.
ADD buttermilk, 1/4 cup at a time, ALTERNATING with flour mixture and MIXING with large spoon until just combined after each addition. Do not over mix.
DIVIDE batter between lined cupcake molds. BAKE for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
REMOVE from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
To make buttercream frosting, MIX unsalted butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract and fine table salt; use a whip attachment, starting slowly and gradually increasing the speed until light and fluffy. ADD more cream or powdered sugar as needed to get the desired consistency.

ICE cupcakes with the whipped white frosting.
COVER each iced cupcake evenly with coconut flakes.
CUT marshmallows in half diagonally and DIP cut sides into pink sugar
PLACE two marshmallow halves onto each cupcake to make ears.
PLACE two chocolate morsels onto each cupcake to make eyes.
ROLL a ½ inch ball of fondant in the pink sugar. PLACE on cupcake to make a nose.

Insert wooden toothpick into cupcakes; if it comes out clean, they are ready.

Use wooden toothpicks to prop up marshmallow ears if they won’t stay up.

Do not cut the marshmallows ahead of time. Cut each right before adding the sprinkles to help adhere the sugar.

If short on time, use boxed cake mix for the batter, and then use decoration instructions to complete.

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