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Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Name: Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 24
Ingredients: 1 box carrot cake mix; 1 cup pineapple juice; 1/3 cup sour cream; 1/2 cup applesauce; 1 tsp. cinnamon; 3 eggs; M&M's® Carrot Cake; 16 oz. cream cheese (room temperature); 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature); 5 cups powdered sugar; 2 tsp. clear vanilla extract; 1 tbsp. milk

This Easter Party Playdate complete with a Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting recipe has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser.

M&M Carrot Cake Cupcakes #MMsCarrotCake #ad

Easter Party Playdate Ideas

Every Friday for almost a year, the girls and I met up with friends at the local park for an afternoon playdate. Our little group of 10 was comprised entirely of females – the four moms and six girls. No matter if we hit the playground or swimming pool, we made sure to have fun year round.

Late, last summer my friend, Amy, who was the common thread and introduced and brought us all together moved to another city 45 minutes away. While at the time it didn't seem like it was that far away and we'd still see each other all the time, it was a bit unrealistic on my part. With kids and life in general, 1.5 hours spent driving roundtrip alone is hard to squeeze in on a regular basis.

In spite of the move, we still make it a priority to get together for a playdate once a month. Sometimes our playdates don't match up quite evenly and we end up celebrating holidays a few weeks early like at Christmas when we took pictures with Santa the first week of December.

Group Photo Easter Party Playdate #MMsCarrotCake #ad

A few days ago, before St. Patrick's Day even, our playdate group celebrated Easter together! The kids were a little confused by the early celebrations but got into the spirit quickly with the fun, themed Easter party playdate complete with little Easter baskets.

Since this was a weekday, after school playdate lots of snacks were in order – for moms and kids! In keeping with the Easter theme we enjoyed the following:

Bunny Sandwiches with M&M Eyes #MMsCarrotCake #ad

Tea sandwiches: I cut thin, white bread using bunny and chick-shaped cookie cutters, then spread a layer of cream cheese/ranch dressing mix, topped with English cucumber slices, and finished with M&M's® Carrot Cake for the eyes.

Carrots and Hummus Pots #MMsCarrotCake #ad

Carrots and hummus or ranch in terra cotta pots. I washed these tiny terra cotta pots and lined with the smallest sized paper cups I could find (cut in thirds). I then filled the bottom with hummus or ranch and stuck in carrots. This is the perfect appetizer or snack for small hands!

Down the Bunny Hole with M&Ms #MMsCarrotCake #ad

Down the Rabbit Hole Pudding Cups: the idea behind this one is that the rabbit is hiding his stash of M&M's® Carrot Cake at the bottom of his rabbit hole. To make your own, use a clear plastic cup and start with a layer of M&M's® Carrot Cake (about 2 tbsp.), next layer 1 cup of chocolate pudding, then add 4 halves of chocolate sandwich cookies, and last shove a large marshmallow (the rabbit's body) down the middle and a small amount of frosting or pudding stick a small marshmallow on top of the bottom to form the tail.
Strawberry Punch: using powdered strawberry lemonade mix, swap lemon-lime soda for water. Then add 1 pound of fresh, halved strawberries and 4 cups of ice to the pitcher before serving. For one gallon of strawberry punch, I used (2) lids full of strawberry lemonade powder and (2) 2-liter bottles of lemon-lime soda.

Cupcake at Easter Party Playdate #MMsCarrotCake #ad

What party would be complete without cupcakes?! I made Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting and topped with the new M&M's® Carrot Cake. Hidden inside some of the cupcakes was also a treat – more M&M's® Carrot Cake!

Friends Eating Cupcakes #MMsCarrotCake #ad

After enjoying our snacks, the girls had fun enjoying the overdue return to warmer weather by jumping on the trampoline while the moms took time to catch up. Before everyone headed home, the girls enjoyed playing with the stamps and Play-Doh from their Easter baskets.

M&M's Carrot Cake Party Favors #MMsCarrotCake #ad

I've shared my Easter party playdate ideas with you, which is your favorite?