Cupcake Tutorial #2: Bunny Butts

I arrived at the bakery tonight to the note pictured here.  Evidently the bunny butt cupcakes were a hit!  They are so very easy to do, so I thought I'd show YOU how...
I started with a beautiful, moist carrot cake cupcake.  Can't you just SEE those slivers of carrot trying to break through the top of the cupcake?  Yum!

The FIRST thing I always do to a cupcake at the bakery is core out the middle so it can be filled.  Then I pick a filling. I considered cream cheese icing but ultimately chose to stick with vanilla buttercream.

I filled the cored out cupcake with vanilla buttercream using a piping bag with a large round tip.

Next I iced the cupcake using the same large round tip I filled the core with and then smoothed it out with a small offset spatula.  

With a Wilton #10 round tip, pipe a "tail" for the bunny by going in a circular motion, building it up as big and round as you want it.  Then being careful not to get them all over the cupcake, turn the cupcake over and dip just the tail in white nonpareils.

Because it was carrot cake, I chose to coat the edges of the cupcake with orange sprinkles.  I almost went with green.  You can choose.  White would have been pretty too!

Now with the same Wilton #10 round tip, pipe the feet on in an oval shape.  Then smooth them out if you need to with your offset spatula.

With pink icing and a Wilton #5 round tip, pipe the pads on the bottom of the bunny feet.  It's just a little oval shape.  Smooth with spatula if you wish.  I didn't smooth mine.

Finally, pipe three dots on the bottom of each bunny foot with that same Wilton #5 round tip.  

What a cute little "bunny butt" cupcake!  So easy!  It's just a round tip in varying sizes.  Doesn't get much easier than that!  We can't keep these on the shelves.  They fly out the door as fast as I can make them!  Now get in the kitchen and HOP TO IT!!!