More Easter Cupcakes

I made two kinds of cupcakes for Ben's Easter party at school, since parents and siblings were invited. I got the idea for the candy carrots here. I've seen lots of Easter cupcakes with coconut nests. But I thought most children wouldn't like coconut, so I made haystacks into nests - I formed them in a mini-muffin pan and put the jelly beans inside before they hardened. The nests need to be refrigerated if you make them ahead of time.

I used Martha Stewart's Devil's Food Cupcakes recipe with buttercream. For the carrot cupcakes, I made this one, which was new to me. Both recipes were great!

Cupcake tips: fill cupcake liners to just about 1/4 inch below the rim before baking to develop a nice cupcake top. Use a decorating bag and tip to frost; your frosting will look better and you won't tear up delicate cupcakes.