Easter Cupcakes (with buttercream and mini eggs)
The cute Easter cupcakes have a vanilla batter with buttercream that can be dyed in any pastel color you want and mini eggs. You can make homemade cupcakes or use purchased cake mix if in a hurry.
Servings 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
Vanilla cupcakes:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk at room temperature
Buttercream frosting:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- blue or aqua gel food coloring
- mini pastel chocolate eggs for decorating
Instructions
Make the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a cupcake or muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, sift together 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream ½ cup unsalted butter, gradually adding ¾ cup sugar and beating until light and fluffy, 2 or 3 minutes.
- Add 2 large eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Alternate adding dry ingredients in 2 parts and ½ cup milk, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Mix to integrate well but don’t overmix or the cupcakes will be tough.
- Divide the batter evenly into cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ full.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the buttercream:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat ¾ cup unsalted butter until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar, integrating well. Stir in 1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Add a few drops of blue or aqua gel food coloring (I like gel food dyes), mixing until you reach a robin’s egg shade. Don’t add too much from the start, or you’ll not get a pastel color. Use a piping bag to pipe or a spoon to spread the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes.
- Place a few mini pastel chocolate eggs on top of each cupcake and serve.
Notes
Baking time: Consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use an oven thermometer to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend tracking how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
