Surprise! These Clever Piñata Cupcakes Will Delight Your Friends

Cupcakes are special treats by themselves, so surprise-inside piñata cupcakes are extra special for birthdays and special occasions. You can customize these with any flavor of cupcake and any type of candy or chocolate treat you want to stuff them with.

• Don't Miss: Use Candy to Make Your Cupcakes Look Pro

What You'll Need:

• Plain, unfrosted cupcakes (homemade or from a mix)
• Frosting
• Candy for filling
• Any other decorations you need

Step 1: Make Cupcakes

Make cupcakes, from a mix or from scratch.

Step 2: Cool Cupcakes Completely

A wire rack is great for this task. If you don't have one, be sure to at least remove the cupcakes from their tin to speed up the process.

Step 3: Make a Hole in Each Cupcake

After they are completely cool, hollow out a small hole in the center of each cupcake using a melon baller or sharp paring knife. Make sure not to carve all the way to the bottom; you want a scoop, not a tunnel.

Save the cut-out parts for later.

Step 4: Fill Cupcakes with Candy

I used Nerds in the cupcakes pictured here, but you can use any other small candy. The smaller the candy, the better the spill-out piñata effect.

Note: The candy does lose some of its crunchiness after a few hours, so don't let them sit too long after filling. If you need to, you can bake the cupcakes in advance and fill them the day you will serve them.

Step 5: Cover the Filled Cupcakes

Trim the cut-out parts so that only a lid remains, then cover the holes in each of the cupcakes. Try to make the "lids" fit as snugly as possible.

Step 6: Frost the Cupcakes

Gently brush any crumbs away from the top of the cupcakes and frost the cupcakes.

Step 7: Decorate Cupcakes

Decorate your cupcakes as you wish, with sprinkles, additional candy, or any other decoration.

Step 8: Watch & Enjoy the Surprise!

For chocolate lovers, M&Ms are a tasty alternate filling.

Surprise-Inside Cupcakes: Cookie Version

If you'd rather have a soft surprise instead of one that spills out, then you can also bake cookies inside your cupcakes. Just choose a nicely contrasting color. These pretty ones by Betty Crocker use heart-shaped sugar cookies inside red velvet cupcakes for a sweet surprise.

Betty Crocker

Surprise-Inside Cupcakes: Fruit Edition

For a healthier version, you can also stuff your cupcakes with strawberries. These strawberry shortcake-inspired cupcakes by That's What Che Said are made of white cake mix, strawberries, and cream cheese frosting.

That's What Che Said

More Baking Hacks

• How to Bake Cupcakes & Muffins Without a Special Pan
• You've Been Eating Cupcakes Wrong Your Entire Life
• The Formula for Making a Perfect Cake Without a Recipe
• 7 Tricks that Make Boxed Cake Mix Taste Like Homemade
• How to Bake Cake in Real Eggshells for a Sweet Surprise

Photos by Naomi Imatome-Yun/Food Hacks (unless otherwise specified)