Easter signifies the beginning of spring for most people. This recipe for moist yellow cupcakes is simple and quick to make. They can be filled with anything, including instant pudding, and are frosted with a delicious vanilla buttercream.

Cupcake Batter

Preheat the oven to 350F. In an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat until light yellow in color. Add the vanilla; add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture alternately with the milk (begin and end with the flour mixture); mix until well combined and smooth. In an electric mixer, whisk egg whites until soft but not dry. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Pour the batter into each cupcake liner or use a pastry bag to pipe the batter into the liners; add the batter until each liner is about ¾ full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until a tester inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack. Cool the cupcakes for 5 minutes and remove from the pan to continue cooling on the rack. Repeat with the remaining batter. Yields 24 cupcakes.

Vanilla Pudding Filling

Prepare pudding according to directions; Refrigerate to set. Fill a pastry bag or pastry injector with the pudding and insert the pudding into the center of each cupcake. Refrigerate to set.

Buttercream Frosting

In an electric mixer on low speed, cream the butter and 4 cups of the confectioner’s sugar until smooth; Add the vanilla. Add the remaining confectioner’s sugar and egg whites to the batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue mixing on high speed for 5 minutes until light in color. Separate the frosting into individual bowls, depending on the number of frosting colors you wish to use (this recipe uses four). Add a few drops of the food coloring to each mixture and mix until well incorporated and evenly colored.

Fill individual pastry bags or pastry injectors with each buttercream frosting. Frost the cupcakes with the buttercream frosting. Sprinkle with Easter-themed sprinkles or assorted Easter-themed candies.