Published: · Recipe by: Beth · This post may contain affiliate links.
The Easter Bunny will be excited to get his paws on these delicious Easter Carrot Top Cupcakes! Each chocolate cupcake looks just like a real carrot popping out of the dirt. The cupcakes are wrapped in orange chocolate clay, are topped with orange frosting and sprigs of edible grass, and are served in chocolate cookie crumb dirt.
Easter Carrot Top Cupcakes
Cakes are often completely covered in fondant but you don’t see too many cupcakes decorated that way. Why not? Probably because fondant is way too sweet or just plain awful tasting, but an alternative, modeling chocolate, tastes, well, like chocolate, and works almost exactly like fondant. What’s not to like about that?
These burning questions got me thinking about clever ways to make and use modeling chocolate cupcake wrappers for Easter and these Easter Carrot Top Cupcakes were my first experiment. It’s always so wonderful when my first try at something works. I had three recipe flubs earlier this week, so these made me so happy.
VIDEO
Watch the video to see how these Carrot Top Cupcakes are made.
Edible cupcake wrappers offer so many fun possibilities and I am sure you will be seeing more of them here at Hungry Happenings.
Their only downside is that they do take away some of the reason for making cupcakes, and that is eating the tiny cakes with your hands. The wrappers will melt, so you’ll need to serve your cupcakes on a plate. This problem actually worked in my favor with this project.
My Easter Carrot Top Cupcakes needed to be in dirt anyway, so I poured some chocolate sauce on a plate, added a sprinkling of crushed Oreo Cookies, and set a cupcake on top. Not only does the edible chocolate dirt complement the look of the cupcake, but it also adds layers of flavor that turn an ordinary cupcake into a special dessert for Easter.
Each cupcake is wrapped in a strip of orange modeling chocolate, topped with orange frosting, and has a wisp of edible candy grass sticking up out of the top.
In person the edible grass has more green color, but each strand is so thin it shows almost transparent in pictures. If you’ve never made modeling chocolate, it only requires two ingredients and comes together pretty quickly. Read my modeling chocolate recipe and all my tips on my Chocolate Making Tips page before you begin.
Easter Carrot Top Cupcakes
You’ll Need:
Items used to make this project that are available on Amazon.com (commission earned for sales)
white modeling chocolate colored orange
(either use orange candy melts to make your modeling chocolate or color the white chocolate using orange food coloring – see instructions and recipe, here.)
corn syrup
carrot greens – edible candy grass (make them out of green modeling chocolate, if you prefer)
baked cupcakes
frosting tinted orange
chocolate sauce or chocolate ganache *
crushed chocolate cookies (I used Oreo Cookies)
rolling pin
non-stick mat, optional (or dust work surface with powdered sugar) cupcake wrapper template (print and cut out around template)
pizza cutter or knife
muffin tin
*Chocolate Ganache Recipe – Scald 1 cup heavy whipping cream stir in 8 ounces chopped chocolate until melted. Allow to cool until slightly thickened.
Instructions: Go here to get a copy of a cupcake wrapper template.
Cut out around the template.
Set it in your muffin tin to see if it is the right size. Adjust the template as needed. I found that my muffin tins aren’t all the exact same size. I had to add length to my template and cut 1/4 inch off the width. Be sure to use the same muffin tin to make your cupcakes as you do to make your edible cupcake wrappers.
TIP: I have finally found the perfect way to roll out modeling chocolate without having to dust your work surface with powdered sugar, which can be messy and make your modeling chocolate dry. Roll it out on a non-stick mat. It works great!
Roll out the orange modeling chocolate.
Set a cupcake wrapper template on the modeling chocolate and use a pizza cutter or knife to cut out around the template. Be careful not to cut your non-stick mat.
Set each modeling chocolate cupcake wrapper in your muffin tin.
Use corn syrup to glue the two ends together.
Allow your edible cupcake cups to dry for at least an hour in the pan.
Set a cupcake in an edible modeling chocolate cupcake wrapper. If you want, you can spread a bit of frosting on the outside of the cupcake before placing it in the wrapper, but it’s not necessary.Use a knife or metal spatula to create indentations across the cups to give the carrots a more realistic look.
Frost the tops of your cupcakes with orange frosting making sure it goes all the way to the edge.
Cut edible candy grass at varying lengths and stick them in the center of each cupcake top.
Spread some chocolate sauce or chocolate ganache on a dessert plate.
Sprinkle on some crushed chocolate cookies.
Set an Easter Carrot Top Cupcake in the center of each plate.
Serve.
I do recommend making these the day you serve them for the best results, but you can make these ahead and store them in an airtight container for a few days. The modeling chocolate will soften in the container, so be careful lifting them out to plate them.
If this Chocolate Ganache interests you, then you should go and check out all these other delicious ideas.
These are so stinkin' cute!! I keep seeing them around….thought I'd come check them out! Thanks for sharing such a great idea!! Cathy @ Lemon Tree Dwelling
These cupcakes are fantastic! They would look so cute on the Easter table. I've never worked with modeling chocolate before, but it looks so cute, I might have to give it a try. I would love if you would share this at my link party. http://www.realcoake.com/2013/03/real-family-fun-6.html Take care, KC
So clever! Thank you for visiting me and pinning the bunny pops. Because you left me comment, I found your blog for the first time. So nice to meet a fellow crafty baker. 🙂
I also wanted to let you know this post is also being featured in this weeks Happiness is Homemade Linky Party. Have an awesome week ahead!
Thanks for the feature. 🙂
Wonderful idea, thank you for sharing it!
These are so cute, what a great idea to use the chocolate. I would love to try something like this for EAster. Thanks for sharing.
These are adorable and look like fun to make (and eat). Thank you for sharing!
I'm pretty sure these are the cutest cupcakes I've ever seen! Stopping by via The SITS Girls party, Diana
Adirondack Girl @ Heart
Thanks, Diana. I appreciate you stopping by!
This were so cute I had to pin them for later! Visiting from SITS!
Thanks for stopping by and for pinning!
Love! I had no idea you could use modeling chocolate to make edible cupcake wrappers. Genius!
– Tasha @ Designer Trapped in a Lawyer's Body {www.designertrapped.com}
I love making cupcake wrappers using modeling chocolate and have made quite a few different designs.
I tried to pin these adorable cupcakes and they wont pin. Help. Their so cute.
Trish Butler bntnrsm@yahoo.com
They look wonderful and the idea of "soil" on plate is priceless! 🙂
Thanks! The "soil" is quite tasty:)
These are adorable! What a great idea, thanks for sharing.
ok. These? ADORABLE!
These are absolutely adorable! Love them!
-Kristen
Don't forget to link up to Handmade Tuesdays @ www.ladybug-blessings.com
I love these!! Thanks for the awesome instructions! 🙂
These are so stinkin' cute!! I keep seeing them around….thought I'd come check them out! Thanks for sharing such a great idea!!
Cathy @ Lemon Tree Dwelling
Ok, these are adorable! What a creative idea! Blessings to you!
These are adorable. I might have to give this a try!
Thanks for the feature:)
what a totally clever idea! I LOVE it!!
Thanks for linking up! I featured your post in my wrap up! http://tidymom.net/2013/easter-ideas/
Have a great rest of the weekend!
These are so cute!
The texture on the wrapper tips the cuteness over the top!
These are ADORABLE!
These cupcakes are fantastic! They would look so cute on the Easter table.
I've never worked with modeling chocolate before, but it looks so cute, I might have to give it a try.
I would love if you would share this at my link party. http://www.realcoake.com/2013/03/real-family-fun-6.html
Take care,
KC
These are awesome!!!
Beth – these are just fantastic – love how you wrapped the carrot cupcake! Looks just perfect!
awesome as usual! 🙂
beth that is so cool! what a great idea! i love the idea of carrot cupcakes (that are *chocolate* 🙂 ) for Easter!!
So clever! Thank you for visiting me and pinning the bunny pops. Because you left me comment, I found your blog for the first time. So nice to meet a fellow crafty baker. 🙂
Beth I love this and all your cute stuff! I put a link to your blog in my newsletter going out tomorrow. Hope that is ok! Sharon
Thanks, Sharon. I appreciate you sharing a link in your newsletter:)
my pleasure, i love your ideas!!
Love these Beth! So clever!
Oh My word! I heart you!