Jelly Bean Cupcakes with Jelly Bellys Inside and Out

Name: Jelly Bean Cupcakes with Jelly Bellys
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 21 min
Total time: 156 min
Ingredients: 1 box (15.25 ounces) white cake mix; 1 cup water ((quantity according to package instructions)); 1/3 cup canola oil ((quantity according to package instructions)); 3 egg whites ((quantity according to package instructions)); 187 Jelly Belly jelly beans ((using 8 on the inside and 3 on top of the cupcakes); all colors except black and white ); 34 Cupcake liners (if using 2 liners per cupcake (one for baking and a second one added just before serving)); 6 tablespoons butter (softened); 4-3/4 cups powdered sugar; 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 cup (heaping) shredded or flaked sweetened coconut; 7 drops Green food coloring; 51 Jelly Belly jelly beans

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by Nancy

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These colorful, fun and festive cupcakes with Jelly Belly jelly beans inside and out are as delicious as they are pretty.

These scrumptious cupcakes are semi-homemade with a boxed cake mix and a quick and easy homemade buttercream frosting.

But the stars of the show are…Jelly Belly jelly beans.

They’re not only on top of the cupcakes but also inside of the cupcakes.

About the Jelly Bellys

It’s best to use Jelly Belly jelly beans rather than the larger size jelly beans because:

1. The Jelly Bellys are lighter (in weight) than regular or larger size jelly beans.

– so they don’t sink to the bottom of the cupcake when added to the batter like the larger jelly beans do

2. Jelly Bellys are the same color in the middle of the jelly bean as they are on the outside of the jelly bean

– this adds more color on the inside of the cupcakes even after the candy melts down a bit when baked in the batter

– the larger size jelly beans are often white or clear in the middle which leaves little to no color inside the cupcake after it’s baked

About the Cake

These cupcakes are made from a box of white cake mix.

The white color of the cake is a beautiful contrast to the bright and fun colors of the jelly beans.

About the “Easter Grass”

The edible grass on these cupcakes is made out of shredded or flaked coconut and green food coloring.

Feel free to change up the color of the grass from green to pink, blue or whatever color you like.

Amount of Jelly Bellys Needed

Although the box of cake mix say it makes 24 cupcakes, when filling the cupcake liners 3/4’s full of batter, the yield was 17 cupcakes.

Per Cupcake:

1. The inside of each cupcake has a total of 8 Jelly Bellys (one layer of 5, and another layer of 3)

2. The decoration on top of each cupcake has 3 to 5 Jelly Bellys

3. For 3 jelly bellys on top, that’s 11 Jelly Bellys per cupcake (plus the amount of jelly beans on top)

Total Amount for 17 Cupcakes:

For 3 Jelly Bellys on top, that’s 11 jelly beans per cupcake.
- times 17 cupcakes equals a total of 187 Jelly Belly jelly beans
For 4 Jelly Bellys on top, that’s 12 jelly beans per cupcake.
- times 17 cupcakes equals a total of 204 Jelly Belly jelly beans
And for 5 Jelly Bellys on top of each cupcake, that’s 13 jelly beans per cupcake.
- times 17 cupcakes equals a total of 221 Jelly Belly jelly beans

How to Determine the Amount of Jelly Bellys in a Package

To figure out how many Jelly Bellys are in a package, multiply the amount per serving times the number of servings in the package.

The bag of Jelly Bellys that I used was 6.75 ounces.

When doing the math based on the servings, the package should have 162 jelly beans in it (but there were actually a few more…bonus!)

Amount of Cupcake Liners Needed

An option is to use 2 liners per cupcake (one that the cupcake is baked in and a second one that is added just before serving):

using the second cupcake liner adds a festive color to the cupcakes
if using 2 liners for each cupcake, then 34 are needed
both of the liners can match or be similar in color and print (in this post, the second cupcake liner used is different from the liner that the cupcake was baked in)

Customize the Color Theme and Jelly Bellys

When it comes to the theme of these jelly bean cupcakes, the possibilities are endless for customization.

Whether the theme is pink, light blue, unicorn, rainbow or holiday, you just need the applicable colors of Jelly Bellys, food coloring and themed paper cupcake liners.

Let’s check out the ingredients.

Cupcakes – boxed white cake mix, canola oil, egg whites, and water (or the ingredients according to package instructions), Jelly Belly jelly beans (all colors except black and white), and paper cupcake liners

Buttercream Frosting – powdered sugar, softened butter, milk and vanilla extract

Topping and Decorations – sweetened shredded coconut (or coconut flakes), green food coloring, Jelly Belly jelly beans, or regular size jelly beans if preferred

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.

For the Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (or according to package instructions).

Paper Liners:

Fill the cupcake pan with paper liners. Set aside.

Cake Batter:

To a large bowl, according to the package instructions, add cake mix, egg whites, canola oil and water.

Beat with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes or whisk by hand for 2 minutes (or follow package instructions).

Filling the Cake Liners:

Fill each cupcake liner 3/4’s full of cake batter (a small amount of batter should be left over).

Adding Jelly Beans:

In the cupcake liner, on top of the batter, lay 5 Jelly Belly jelly beans.

TIPS:

1. make sure to lay the Jelly Belly jelly beans flat

2. don’t use white or black colored jelly beans on the inside of the cupcakes (or the popcorn flavored Jelly Bellys since they’re such a light color).

3. don’t let the jelly beans touch each other, or touch the sides of the cupcake paper liners

– if they get too close to one another they may bunch up together; if they touch the paper liners the jelly beans may stick to the paper and pull out of the cupcake when the liner is removed

Add More Batter:

For each cupcake, add about 1 teaspoon of cake batter on top of the jelly beans (don’t cover up all of the jelly beans, let a little show through).

TIP – The total amount of batter for each cupcake should fill the paper liner to 3/4’s full.

Add More Jelly Beans:

On top of the batter, add 3 more Jelly Belly jelly beans.

TIPS: (same as when adding the first layer of jelly beans)

1. make sure to lay the Jelly Belly jelly beans flat

2. don’t use white or black colored jelly beans on the inside of the cupcakes (or the popcorn flavored Jelly Bellys since they’re such a light color).

3. don’t let the jelly beans touch each other, or touch the sides of the cupcake paper liners

– if they get too close to one another they may bunch up together; if they touch the paper liners the jelly beans may stick to the paper and pull out of the cupcake when the liner is removed

Bake:

Bake in a preheated oven according to package instructions until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean (between 18 and 21 minutes, or according to the package instructions).

Cool:

Carefully transfer the cupcakes from the pan onto a rack.

Let cool completely before frosting them.

Green Coconut Topping (Grass)

The green “coconut grass” topping needs to be put on top of the cupcake as soon as it’s frosted so that it will stick to the top.

Before making the frosting, make the “green grass”.

To a small bowl, add shredded or flaked coconut.

To the coconut…

…add 7 drops of green food coloring.

With a small spoon, mix together until the coconut is lightly coated in green. Set aside.

For the Buttercream Frosting

To a large mixing bowl, add softened butter…

…powdered sugar…

…milk…

…and vanilla extract.

Next…

Set a mixer to the slowest speed and beat the ingredients carefully so that the powdered sugar doesn’t fly out of the bowl.

Once the powdered sugar starts to mix in with the butter and milk (about two minutes), increase the speed on the mixer and beat the ingredients until smooth (about another 3 or 4 minutes).

Frosting the Cupcakes and Adding the Decorations:

TIP – Frost each cupcake one at a time, and right after frosting each one…

…add the green shredded coconut (so it will stick to the frosting)…

…top with 3 to 5 Jelly Belly jelly beans (so they’ll also stick to the frosting).

Or add the preferred amount of jelly beans on top.

Larger size jelly beans can be used for decoration if preferred (using them inside of the cupcakes isn’t recommended).

Here’s an example of what the larger size jelly beans look like on top of the cupcake if you’d like to use them.

Depending on the theme of the cupcakes…

…various colors can be used for the inside…

…and the outside of the cupcakes…

And the best part is…

…that these cupcakes are delicious.

The inside of the cupcakes…

…actually take on the flavor…

…of the Jelly Bellys.

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