Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes

Since Easter Sunday is tomorrow, I simply couldn’t resist one last Easter themed bake. So, here are my Easter Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes.

FF Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes

Vanilla cupcakes, swirled with real chocolate buttercream, sprinkled with dark chocolate curls and chocolate mini eggs nestling in the centre.

So, delicious and easy to make, Easter Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes have the perfect balance of cake, chocolate buttercream and Cadbury’s mini eggs.

RT Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes
Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes beautiful in tulip wrappers.

So, with ALL of the chocolate that is around over the Easter period, a vanilla cupcake to provides the perfect balance. While I love a deep chocolatey cake, like my Chocolate Sparkle Cake sometimes too much chocolate can be over powering!

Also, I adore the crisp, vanilla shell on Cadbury’s mini eggs and wanted to echo that in the cupcake. Likewise, a lighter chocolate buttercream, piped on these cupcakes, works with the mini eggs, rather than swamping them.

RT Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes
Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes a little portion of edible happiness.

Homemade Easter Gifts

And these Easter Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes are an inexpensive way of making a few packets of mini eggs go a long way and are great to give as gifts. Since I personally love homemade gifts, these would be a very welcome gift indeed.

Either wrap each cupcake in cellophane, tie with raffia or place in little cupcake boxes tied with ribbon, presentation is key. Now they are ready to be given as gifts. My niece made a version of these and gave them to her teachers at Primary School as an end of term, Easter thank you, where they are proving very popular!

Recipe: Makes 12 Easter Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes

For the cupcakes 

100g/4oz Unsalted Buter at room temperature

100g/4oz Caster Sugar

1tsp Vanilla Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey

1/8tsp – pinch Sea Salt – I use Maldon 

2 Large Free Range Eggs

100g/4oz Plain White Flour – self raising can be substituted but don’t add the extra baking powder.

1tsp Baking Powder

For the Chocolate Buttercream

300g/11oz  Icing Sugar – sifted

150g/5oz Unsalted Butter – softened

175g/6oz Milk Chocolate

2 packets of Cadbury’s mini eggs

Dark chocolate curls, or Cadbury’s flake (x2)

Method: Preheat the oven to 160C/140C, gas mark 3, 325F

Making And Baking The Easter Vanilla Cupcakes

  • First of all place the butter and sugar into a bowl and whisk/beat until pale and fluffy.
  • Add the vanilla extract and whisk/beat until incorporated.
  • Next add 2 eggs, the sifted flour, baking powder and salt.
  • Whisk/beat slowly until all the ingredients are just combined.
  • Using a metal spoon stir the mixture 2-3 times to ensure everything is combined.
  • Place 12 cupcake wrappers into a cupcake pan.
  • Scoop just under a dessert spoonful of cake batter into each cupcake wrapper.
  • Place the cupcakes into the centre of the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
  • The cupcakes are cooked when they are a golden brown colour and spring back from a light touch.
  • As soon as they are baked remove the cupcakes from the oven.
  • If using tulip cupcake cases, as I have, allow to cool completely in the tin, if not cool for 5 minutes in the tin and then transfer to a cooling rack.
  • Transfer cupcakes in tulip wrappers to a cooling rack once cold.
RT Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes
Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes ready for frosting.
  • While the cupcakes are cooling make the buttercream.

Making The Frosting And Decorating The Easter Cupcakes

  • Break up the chocolate, place in a microwaveable bowl and heat on medium power for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until the chocolate is completely melted. Set to one side.
  • Whisk the sieved icing sugar, butter and vanilla extract until pale and smooth.
  • Add the cooled chocolate, whilst whisking. Continue whisking until you have light, fluffy, buttercream.
  • Fit a piping bag with a large star tip.
  • Fill the piping bag with the chocolate buttercream.
  • Pipe a single swirl around the outside edge of each cupcake.
  • Repeat, piping another swirl on top of the previous one.
RT Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes
Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes the nests are almost ready for their eggs.
  • Sprinkle dark chocolate curls, or broken up Cadbury’s flake around the swirls of chocolate buttercream.
  • Add mini eggs to the centre of the cupcakes.
  • My mini egg colours were kept the same, for impact, however, they also look very natural when the colours are mixed – let you creative juices flow!
RT Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes
Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes I kept my mini eggs all the same colour.

These Easter Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes are such an easy bake, yet look professional enough to give as gifts.

A Savvy Purchase

Finally, a quick note about the tulip cupcake cases. Since they can be quite expensive, so I buy mine in bulk from Amazon UK. where the price per wrapper is much cheaper than alternatives found in supermarkets. Alternatively, get together with a baking buddy and split the package and cost. I bought 100 wrappers a couple of years ago and still have plenty left!

FF Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes
Easter Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes

A delicious gift for anyone at Easter time, taking around an hour to make, bake and decorate. Yet there is still time to make these before tomorrow.

As I said at the start of this post, Easter symbolises new birth. For me, as a Christian, that happened when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. If you would like to know more please see Important Stuff.

How you ever considered the true meaning of Easter and what it means to you?

If you have enjoyed these Easter Vanilla Mini Egg Nest Cupcakes here are some other mini egg recipes:

Chocolate Monster Mini Egg Cookies

Smartie Chocolate Monster Mini Egg Cookies
Chocolate Monster Mini Egg Cookies a delicious treat.

Mini Egg Millionaires Shortbread 

Mini egg millionaires shortbread squares displayed on a white platter showing the different layers.
Mini Egg Millionaires Shortbread

Chocolate Mini Egg Brownies

Smartie Chocolate Mini Egg Brownies
Chocolate Mini Egg Brownies served with a few extra eggs!

Mini Egg Bundt Cake

Mini Egg decorated Bundt Cake
Mini Egg Bundt Cake

I love reading your comments, so please keep them coming and seeing all your makes and bakes on Twitter/Instagram. Please pop a photo up and tag me in?

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy and blessed Easter.

Sammie xx

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Bakewell Cupcakes

Hello people, do I have the perfect picnic Cupcake for you to make and enjoy this sunny day here in the UK today? I think so. So, let me introduce these delicious Bakewell Cupcakes. All the yumminess of a Bakewell Tart in Cupcake form.

Bakewell Cupcakes topped with white icing and a red glacé cherry.
Bakewell Cupcakes

Since I love Bakewell Tart, the raspberry jam layer, enveloped in an almond  sponge or frangipane, so I set about turning one of my favourite tarts into a cupcake. Resulting in the creation of these Bakewell Cupcakes.

A cooling rack packed with red cherry topped Bakewell Cupcakes.
Bakewell Cupcakes

While you have to admit, these cupcakes even look cheerful. Maybe it’s the bright red cherry on top of the almond glaze? And when you bite into these Bakewell Cupcakes your mouth is filled with an assortment of tastes and textures.  Since the hidden raspberry jam and almonds flakes in the centre are a wonderful surprise.

A Bakewell Cupcake with a bite taken out of it.
Bakewell Cupcakes layers of flavour.

Also, the use of flaked almond in the centre is two-fold, firstly they provided a delightful crunch, secondly they stop the Raspberry jam from sinking to the bottom of the cupcake. So, when you bite through the glorious almond glaze into the moist cupcake sponge, your mouth is then filled with tart raspberry jam and crunchy almond flakes. Resulting in the perfect cupcake flavour and texture balance.

Finally, enough of me telling you how scrummy these are, let’s get on with how to make them!

Recipe :  Bakewell Cupcakes makes 18

For the cupcakes:

18 Cupcake Cases

225g/8oz Unsalted Butter – at room temperature

225g/8oz Caster Sugar

1/4tsp Salt – I use Maldon

4 Large Free Range Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2tsp Almond Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey 

225g/8oz Self Raising White Flour

1/2 Jar Raspberry Jam

175g/6oz Flaked Almonds

For the topping:

400g/14oz Icing Sugar

1/2tsp Almond Extract

18 Red Glacé Cherries

Making The Cupcake Batter

Preheat Oven to 180C/160C (fan), gas Mark 4, 350F.

First of all line the muffin tins with the cupcake cases.

Add the butter, sugar and salt to a large bowl.

Whisk together until light and fluffy. Then add the Vanilla and Almond Extract. Whisk to combine.
Whisk together until light and fluffy. Then add the Vanilla and Almond Extract. Whisk to combine.
Add half the flour and 2 eggs, whisk together to combine.
Add half the flour and 2 eggs, whisk together to combine.

Add the remaining flour and eggs, whisk until combined.

Light, fluffy, Almond flavoured cake batter.
Light, fluffy, Almond flavoured cake batter.
Place approx 1 teaspoonful of the batter into the bottom of each cupcake case.
Place approx 1 teaspoonful of the batter into the bottom of each cupcake case.
I used the end of a desert spoon as it was easier! Continue until each case has cake batter in the bottom.
I used the end of a desert spoon as it was easier! Continue until each case has cake batter in the bottom.
Add a good pinch of flaked Almonds to each case, pressing the cake batter flat as you add them.
Add a good pinch of flaked Almonds to each case, pressing the cake batter flat as you add them.
Place 1/2 a teaspoon of raspberry jam on top of the Almonds.
Place 1/2 a teaspoon of raspberry jam on top of the Almonds.
When the jam has been added then place a heaped teaspoon of cake better on top.
When the jam has been added then place a heaped teaspoon of cake better on top.
The batter will naturally spread out during the cooking process, sealing in the hidden jam centre!
The batter will naturally spread out during the cooking process, sealing in the hidden jam centre!

 

Baking The Cupcakes

Place the Bakewell Cupcakes into a preheated oven and bake for 15-20 mins, until the top is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Allow to cool completely before icing.
Allow to cool completely before icing.

Making The Almond Glacé Icing

To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add 1/2tsp of Almond Extract and enough water to make a thick, fluid icing. It should be able to hold a figure of eight.

Almond flavour glaze that's just the right consistency.
Almond flavour glaze that’s just the right consistency.

Decorating The Cupcakes

Use a teaspoon to cover the top of the cupcakes with the icing.
Use a teaspoon to cover the top of the cupcakes with the icing.
Now pop a cherry on top and leave to set for a couple of hours - if you can wait that long??
Now pop a cherry on top and leave to set for a couple of hours – if you can wait that long??

 

Bakewell Cupcakes are not only pretty and delicious, they also make perfect, portable, picnic food. Likewise, they are ideal for sharing with friends, family or someone you know, who needs a little pick-me-up!

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Bakewell Cupcakes you may also like these:

Iced Bakewell Tart

FF Bakewell Cupcakes
Iced Bakewell Tart

Bakewell Shortbread Bars 

FF Bakewell Cupcakes
Bakewell Shortbread Bars

Cherry Bakewell Cookies 

FF Bakewell Cupcakes
Cherry Bakewell Cookies

 

Because I adore the combination of flavours found in a traditional Bakewell Tart I am always looking to incorporate them in other bakes. Since creating these cupcakes I have also made Cherry Bakewell Hot Cross Buns which have been featured in The Guardian newspaper! Also, I’ve made these very delicious Cherry Bakewell Rocky Road Bars which are a great no bake treat. So, if you enjoy all things Bakewell, be sure to check out my other recipes.

Whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.