Easter Bird’s Nest Cupcakes Recipe

Vanilla Cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.

2. Add in the butter, egg, egg yolks, vanilla, and sour cream, then beat ingredients together with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds until mixture is smooth. Don’t overmix. If necessary, use a rubber spatula to stir the batter until the flour is fully incorporated after the allotted 30 seconds.

3. Divide the mixture evenly between 12 paper-lined muffin cups, which should each be about ⅔ full.

4. Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 25 minutes until lightly golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

1. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, whip together powdered sugar, butter, cream, and vanilla for 1 minute until very smooth and fluffy.

2. Scoop out 2½ tablespoons of the frosting (without cocoa powder) into a small bowl and tint it with yellow and red gel food coloring. You won’t need much and a tiny bit of red goes a long way so take it easy with the coloring.

3. Add cocoa powder to the remaining non-tinted frosting mixture. Using an electric mixer, whip until well-combined.

To Assemble:

1. Toast coconut by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Spread coconut onto a cookie sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 9 minutes until golden brown, rotating pan halfway through baking and watching closely to prevent over toasting. Allow to cool.

3. Frost the cooled cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

4. Gently press 3 blue Cadbury Mini Eggs into the center of each cupcake with the pointed end facing down, the larger and rounded side should be facing the top.

5. Sprinkle the toasted coconut around the Cadbury Mini Eggs on each cupcake. Try to work quickly doing this before the frosting sets up so the coconut sticks better.

6. Fill a Ziploc bag with the orange-tinted frosting, then using scissors, cut a very small tip off the edge of the bag, and pipe beaks onto the Cadbury Mini Eggs. You can practice first on a plate. Also, you can use a toothpick as a “paintbrush” for mistakes.

7. Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave with 20-second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth.

8. Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave with 20-second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth.