Easter Egg Cupcakes

I have to be honest about something… I’m not a great baker. But I’m trying nonetheless! Anytime a baked good turns out well for me it’s because I’ve tried very very hard. I love cooking so much because you can transform a dish by tossing in a little of this and a sprinkle of that. Baking on the other hand is a science. Any baking pictures you might see on this blog might look fairly neat and tidy, but in reality there’s flour all of my counter, clothes, and face; There’s measuring spoons thrown about and vanilla extract dribbled  in various spots; And there’s a pile of dishes in the sink covered in batter or bright pink and teal icing. At least that was the case when I made these Easter Egg Cupcakes in spirit of Easter weekend on the horizon.

Thomas and I are making Easter baskets for each other this year (sorry Thomas this is a spoiler alert), but I accidentally already dug into the Cadbury mini eggs that I bought for his basket. After discovering these Cadbury mini’s I knew I needed to craft a cute Easter treat. The kitchen wasn’t so pretty in the process but thanks to Sally over at Sally’s Baking Addiction the cupcakes turned out pretty dang good! I used Sally’s recipe for Simply Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes which are so fluffy and moist. Then I just created plain vanilla frosting and used food coloring to make it Easter-y pink and teal. 

Happy Easter Weekend Friends!

Easter egg Cupcakes

Ingredients
-1 and 3/4 cups (200g) cake flour1
-3/4 teaspoon baking powder
-1/4 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
-1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
-3 large egg whites, at room temperature
-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract2
-seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean
-1/2 cup (120g) full-fat sour cream at room temperature3
-1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk at room temperature3

Vanilla Frosting

-1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
-4 – 5 cups (480-600g) confectioners’ sugar
-1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream
-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
-salt, to taste
–optional: 2 drops red food coloring to tint pink, 1-2 drops of food coloring for teal/light blue

Toppings

-Cadbury mini eggs
– 1 bar of white chocolate, sliced into shards

What to do

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2 liners – this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes. Set aside.
2. Make the cupcakes: Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
3. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy – about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg whites, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, then beat in the sour cream. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not overmix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
4. Pour/spoon the batter into the liners – fill only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. Bake for 19-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For around 30 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11-13 minutes, same oven temperature. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
5. Make the frosting: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy – about 2 minutes. Add 4 and 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, the heavy cream, and vanilla extract with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes. Add up to 1/2 cup more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or another Tablespoon of cream if frosting is too thick. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
6. Frost cooled cupcakes. I simply used an icing knife.
7. Create nests on top of cupcakes with sliced shards of white chocolate and mini Cadbury eggs.

Make ahead tip: Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Leftover cupcakes keep well covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3 days. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Recipe Notes:

1. If you cannot get your hands on cake flour, you can make a DIY version from all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Measure 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Remove 2 Tablespoons. Mix in 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch. This equals 1 cup of cake flour. I suggest doing this twice, mixing it all up in 1 bowl then removing 1/4 cup since you need 1 and 3/4 cups in this recipe.
2. For best flavor, pure vanilla extract is strongly recommended. If using imitation, increase to 1 Tablespoon (3 teaspoons).
3. Whole milk and sour cream are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. A full fat plain yogurt would work instead, though the cupcakes may not be as light. Same goes with a lower fat milk.