Simply Beautiful Easter Cross Cupcakes (Carrot Cake Flavor)
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Perhaps you would like to step away from cute bunnies and sparkly easter eggs when you are doing your Easter baking and try something more traditional. These carrot cake-flavored Easter Cross Cupcakes are a delicious reminder of what Easter time is really about.
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Easter Cross Cupcakes
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions, to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required and understand the steps and timings involved.
Easter is a time when Christians around the world commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It’s also a time for families to come together and enjoy some delicious food!
If you’re looking for a fun Easter dessert, why not try making these simply beautiful Easter cross cupcakes?
They’re actually really easy to make using a box of carrot cake mix, ready-made frosting, and sprinkles. The cross is made using pretzel sticks and cookie icing.
The pretty cupcakes are sure to impress your family and friends. So why not give them a try?
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
For your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients and equipment needed to make these cupcakes have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online. Standard ingredients such as flour or sugar are not listed, as you are likely to have those in your kitchen. The full list with measurements is found in the recipe card.
Cupcakes & Frosting Ingredients
- Box of Carrot Cake Mix – plus the ingredients to make the cake mix, usually eggs, oil, and water.
- Can Green Frosting
Decorating Ingredients
- Wilton White Cookie Icing – this ready-made icing comes in bottles and is great for piping details onto cookies, cakes, and fondant decorations! If you want to make your own icing to pipe with, please be my guest, but this shortcut saves time! There are other brands that you can use too – use what is available in your area!
- Pretzel Sticks
- Flower Sprinkles
Cupcake Decorating Equipment
- Large Piping Bag – you can use disposable or reuseable, your choice.
- Grass Piping Tip – for example, Wilton #233
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog! I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. You can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).
Easter Cross Cupcakes Recipe Tips
Cupcake Making Tips
- These cupcakes are made using a box of cake mix – prepare them as directed on the box.
- Use your choice of cupcake liners – themed to the cupcakes, plain white or black, or a complimentary color.
- Use an ice cream scoop to equally divide the cupcake mixture between the cupcake liners. Fill them about three-quarters full.
- The cupcakes should be ready in about 20 minutes – test their doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cakes. It should come out clean when the cupcakes are cooked all the way through. Bake for an extra 2 minutes and check again.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
More Easter Cupcake Recipes
Looking for more Easter cupcakes to make? Check these recipes out next:
How Do I Make Easter Cross Cupcakes?
Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.
Easter Cross Cupcakes
These carrot cake-flavored Easter Cross Cupcakes are a delicious reminder of what Easter time is really about.
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25oz) box of carrot cake mix + ingredients listed on box to make it
- 36 Pretzel sticks, 1 ½ for each cross
- White cookie icing
- Green frosting
- Flower sprinkles
Instructions
- To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 (or according to box instructions). Line cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners and set them aside.
- Using an electric handheld or stand mixer, place the cake mix and other listed ingredients on the box into a large bowl and mix until combined and smooth.
- Use an ice cream scoop to divide the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Gently snap 12 of the pretzel sticks in half.
- Assemble the cross by piping a line of white icing across the whole pretzel stick.
- Place the half piece horizontally towards the top of the stick, as shown.
- Pipe a line of white frosting on the half piece. Place a flower sprinkle at the intersection. Place in fridge to set.
- When the cupcakes have cooled, place some frosting into a piping bag fitted with a grass piping tip, such as Wilton #233.
- Insert the cross into the back center of the cupcake.
- Pipe grass around the cupcake, leaving a path to the cross unfrosted.
- Add additional flower sprinkles to the grass as desired.
- Enjoy and Happy Easter!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 45Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 46mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 0gSugar: 4gProtein: 0g
This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Meal!
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal for a dinner party or special occasion:
- Appetizer: Brie and Pear Puff Pastry Tart
- Soup: Vichyssoise Recipe- A Chilled Creamy Leek & Potato Soup
- Salad: Roasted Artichoke Mozzarella Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Main Dish: Mediterranean Pan-Fried White Fish with Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade
- Side Dish: Comforting & Creamy Instant Pot Mashed Red Potatoes
- Beverage: Grapefruit Screwdriver Cocktail
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too!