If you’re looking for a simple Easter or spring dessert, look no further than these Chocolate Nest Cupcakes! With just a few simple decorating steps, you can turn your basic cupcake into a festive and delicious Easter cupcake!
Chocolate Nest Cupcakes
These Chocolate Nest Cupcakes make a wonderful centerpiece to a beautiful Easter table. They are simple but cute and sure to be appreciated by all guests who enjoy.
These cupcakes are decorated with one of my favorite Easter candies too. I smile each time I make this recipe as I remember the bowl of Cadbury mini eggs my grandmother would always keep on her table. Us grandkids were always trying to run over and sneak one (or two or a handful)!
Now I’m passing down my love of Cadbury eggs to my kids with these Chocolate Nest Cupcakes!
Chocolate shavings on buttercream frosting make the “nest” that holds the Cadbury eggs.
These are the perfect Easter cupcakes or make them after the Easter Bunny delivers his basket as a way to use up leftover chocolate!
Tips for Making Cupcakes at home
Allow cupcakes to cool completely. Before frosting the cupcakes let them cool completely. If you frost cupcakes while they are still warm then the frosting will melt.
Do not over mix. Over mixing the batter will lead to having tough and flat cupcakes. When making these angel food cake cupcakes you have to be careful that you don’t over mix the batter when you are folding in the flour mixture. If you over-mix your angel food cake batter your cupcakes will turn out flat.
Properly fill the piping bag with frosting. If you have never filled a pastry bag with frosting check out how to fill a pastry bag with frosting.
Pip frosting with a cupcake frosting swirl. If you have never made a cupcake frosting swirl, it is super easy to do. Check out how to make a frosting swirls on a cupcake to learn how.
How to Store Cupcakes
It is best to store cupcakes in an airtight container on the counter. Cupcakes are best to be enjoyed with in 48 hours of making them. They won’t be bad to eat after 40 hours but they will start to dry out and not be as fresh.
Can Cupcakes be frozen?
Yes they can. You will want to freeze them without any frosting on them. Wrap them individually with plastic wrap and freeze on a baking sheet. Then once they are solid store in a zip close freezer bag. They will keep for up to 2 months when frozen.
To thaw, simply remove them from the freezer and defrost. Then frost as normal.
What type of cupcakes should I use for the Chocolate Nest Cupcakes?
For these adorable spring cupcakes, you have a few options. You could buy premade cupcakes, without the frosting, or you can use my hack to make a box mix taste like a bakery cake or you can make homemade cupcakes.
Best Frosting to Use for these cupcakes
These Easter cupcakes call for homemade buttercream, so I recommend this amazing homemade buttercream frosting. It is important to use a buttercream frosting so the swirl holds its shape and the robins nest on top.
Though it’s not necessary for this recipe, you can also advance your skills and learn how to make the buttercream swirl check out this step by step tutorial. For this recipe, you’ll want flat buttercream but that may come in handy for other spring cupcakes!
What flavor cupcakes should I use?
You can make these spring cupcakes with whatever flavor cupcake you’d like! I personally think chocolate pairs best with buttercream frosting but there are other flavor combinations that are amazing too.
- Strawberry cupcake with vanilla buttercream.
- Vanilla cupcakes with Chocolate buttercream.
- Chocolate cupcake with marshmallow buttercream.
- Strawberry cupcake with chocolate buttercream.
- Vanilla cupcakes with strawberry buttercream.
- Chocolate Cupcake with strawberry buttercream.
- Chocolate Cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.
- Vanilla cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.
- Chocolate cupcake with mint buttercream frosting.
- Chocolate cupcake with blackberry buttercream frosting.
- Vanilla cupcakes with Raspberry buttercream.
- Chocolate cupcake with Raspberry buttercream.
- Vanilla cupcakes with Chocolate Raspberry buttercream.
- Chocolate cupcake with Chocolate Raspberry buttercream.
- Peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate buttercream.
- Chocolate cupcake with mint chocolate buttercream frosting.
- Chocolate cupcake with caramel buttercream.
How To Make Chocolate Shavings from a Candy Bar
You will need to have shaved chocolate for the top of these cupcakes, to make the “nest”, and it is easy to do. Take you chocolate bar and thinly slice the chocolate to make shavings for the nest.
Chocolate Nest Cupcakes for Easter Ingredients
- 24 Cupcakes
- Vanilla Buttercream
- 8 ounces Chocolate bar
- Cadbury mini eggs
How to Make Chocolate Nest Cupcakes
Bake your cupcakes and let them cool.
Pipe a flat swirl with the buttercream onto the cupcake.
Chop the Bar of chocolate into shavings using a sharp knife.
Take the chocolate shavings and sprinkle them into the middle of the cupcake to form the nest.
Stick 3 chocolate eggs into the middle of the nest pressing them into the buttercream so they will stick.
Easy Easter Cupcakes
Chocolate Nest Cupcakes
Ingredients
Easter cupcake ingredients
- 24 Cupcakes
- Vanilla Buttercream
- 8 ounces Chocolate bar
- Cadbury mini eggs
Vanilla Cupcakes Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 1/4 cups cake flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla buttercream Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup of shortening
- 2 pounds confectioners sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons hot water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
How to Make Vanilla cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line your cupcake pans with your choose of cupcake wrappers.
- Place your self-rising flour, cake flour, and sugar in the bowl of your mixer. Mix them together for a minute or two until they are well combined.
- Cut your butter into tablespoon pieces. Slowly add your butter into the flour mixture one piece at a time continue mixing until you have reached the texture of sand.
- Pour half of your milk into the flour mixture and mix just until the milk is incorporated. Use your rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of your bowl. Add your remaining milk and the vanilla to your batter and mix until combined.
- Slowly add in one egg at a time to the cake batter, making sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next egg.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake pan, filling them 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake for 10 minutes then rotate the cake pans so the pan that was on the top rack is now on the bottom and the pan that was on the bottom is now on the top rack. Continue to bake for another 10-13 minute until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cupcake.
- Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack until they have reached room temperature.
How to Make Vanilla Buttercream
- Place your butter and shortening together in the bowl of your mixer. Mix them together on medium speed until they are nice and creamy.
- Turn the mixer down to the lowest setting and slowly incorporate the powdered sugar into the shortening mixture.
- Once you have added all the powdered sugar in to your mixture, add in the vanilla extract and then the hot water.
- Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and continue mixing for 10 minutes until light and fluffy.
- The buttercream can be stored at room temperature for up to three days or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- When you bring it out of the refrigerator let it sit at room temperature for two hours. Then re-whip it for ten minutes to bring it back to life.
How to Make Chocolate Nest Cupcakes
- Bake your cupcakes and let them cool.
- Pipe a flat swirl with the buttercream onto the cupcake.
- Chop the Bar of chocolate into shavings using a sharp knife.
- Take the chocolate shavings and sprinkle them into the middle of the cupcake to form the nest.
- Stick 3 chocolate eggs into the middle of the nest pressing them into the buttercream so they will stick.
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