Easter Nest Cupcakes
Easter Nest Cupcakes are a teatime treat for the Easter holidays using your favourite chocolate mini eggs. Easy for kids to make or help decorate,
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 125 g butter
- 125 g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5ml)
- 150 g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (5ml)
For the chocolate buttercream:
- 150 g butter
- 250 g icing sugar
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon milk (15ml)
To decorate:
- Mini Eggs
Instructions
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan, gas mark 5/375°F
- Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cupcake or muffin cases.
For the cakes:
- Put the cake ingredients into the bowl of a free-standing electric mixer (or you can use a handheld electric whisk and mixing bowl) and beat until light and creamy (1-2 minutes).(Butter, caster sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder)
- Alternatively, blitz all the cake ingredients in a food processor for 30 seconds, scrape down and blitz for a further 5 seconds
- Divide the mixture evenly between the paper cases.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes or until well risen and the top of the cake bounces back when lightly pressed with your finger
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the chocolate buttercream:
- Beat the butter until soft and creamy
- Sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder, and add to the butter in two additions, mixing on a low speed, incorporating the milk, and beat for 3–5 minutes on a higher speed
- Spoon the chocolate buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe it onto the top of the cakes
- Fill each 'nest' with three mini eggs.