EASTER

CUPCAKES

Cupcake  Ingredients

butter sugar eggs vanilla extract flour baking powder salt milk

Buttercream Frosting Ingredients

egg whites  sugar  butter  vanilla extract  teal food coloring

Cupcakes

Combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with a stand mixer with whisk attachment until light and fluffy.

Cupcakes

Add the eggs, vanilla and beat until the mixture is voluminous.

Cupcakes

In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and salt then add it to the bowl with creamed butter. Use a spatula to gently fold it into the batter.

Cupcakes

Pour the milk into the bowl with batter and fold until combined.

Cupcakes

Pour the milk into the bowl with batter and fold until combined.

Cupcakes

Divide the cupcake batter between the 12 cupcake liners filling them 2/3 full.

Cupcakes

Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 18 minutes or until the cupcakes have risen and are a pale golden brown color.

Cupcakes

Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Frosting

Fill a saucepan with a couple of inches of water and bring it to a simmer. Put the egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer and set it over the simmering pan. Do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water or the egg whites will scramble.

Frosting

Use a handheld whisk to beat continuously for 4-5 minutes. The mixture will look frothy. Dip your finger into the mixture and feel it between your fingers. If you can feel any grain keep heating and mixing until you can feel the mixture is smooth and slippery.

Frosting

Add the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on a medium-high speed until the egg whites reach stiff peaks. This will take at least 10 minutes but sometimes longer.

Frosting

When the egg whites are at stiff peaks feel the outside of the bowl. It should be cool by now but if it isn’t put the whole bowl into the fridge for 10 minutes.

Frosting

When the outside of the bowl is cool, add the butter a tbsp at a time. Beat on high speed using the paddle attachment fully incorporating each addition of butter until all the butter has been added.

Frosting

At this point the mixture will look split. Do no panic! Add the vanilla extract and keep the mixer running until the mixture comes together into a silky smooth Swiss meringue buttercream.

Frosting

Add a drop of food coloring and briefly beat until the buttercream is a uniform color. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.

Pipe the buttercream in swirls on top of the cooled cupcakes.

To add a speckled effect mix the cocoa powder and vanilla then dip a small paintbrush into the mixture and flick it on to the cupcakes using your finger.

For a final flourish add 3 mini Easter eggs to the top of each cupcake.