Everybody loves a good cupcake, and these Birds' Nest chocolate cupcakes are a great Easter spin on the old classic.Easter can be a great time for the family to get together and spend quality time with each other. If you’re looking for cooking ideas for children, then this recipe is a great suggestion as it’s so simple to make and doesn’t require much time or effort!Making the cakes is a quick and easy process, but if you are looking for a shortcut then you can always buy your own buttercream in advance. Thanks to Lisa Marley and Britannia for this delicious springtime recipe.When making the cupcakes, be sure to use margarine and not butter as this will help to keep the cupcakes flat.We also have recipes for champagne cupcakes, and strawberry cupcakes.
Ingredients
- 150 g soft margarine
- 150 g caster sugar
- 150 g self-raising flour
- 2 medium eggs (beaten)
for the buttercream:
- 200 g icing sugar (sieved)
- 150 g soft unsalted butter (cubed)
- 60 g cocoa powder
- 30 ml whole milk (room temp)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
for decoration:
- 2 chocolate flakes (broken into pieces)
- 10 mini chocolate eggs
Instructions
- Line a muffin tray with 10 cupcake cases.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F or Gas Mark 4.
- To make the batter, mix together the caster sugar and margarine in a bowl.
- Ensure that the mixture is a light and fluffy consistency.
- Add the eggs and mix again.
- Sieve in the flour and mix until completely combined.
- Spoon the batter into the cupcake cases, filling to just over half way.
- Bake for around 18-20 minutes or until a metal skewer comes out clean.
- Once the cakes are ready, leave to stand till cool.
- Whilst cooling, you can get started on making the buttercream. In a bowl, mix the butter and icing sugar until smooth.
- Add in the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and whole milk and mix again until smooth.
- Place the buttercream into a new piping bag and when the cakes are cooled, you can start to pipe.
- Start in the middle of your cupcake and squeeze around covering the whole cupcake, tapering off when finished.
- Once all cupcakes are topped, you can decorate them. Use the chocolate flake to represent a bird’s nest with a chocolate egg sitting on top.
