Easter Egg Cupcakes

Happy Easter, friends!

Huge thanks to @cake_me_home_tonight for their perfect vanilla cupcake recipe!

They paired perfectly with this little bird's nest idea for the top.

Light, fluffy deliciousness, crowned with buttercreamy goodness, and Eastery cuteness to bring it all together for the day!

Cupcakes:

1 egg, room temperature

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk, room temperature

2 tbsp sour cream, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 parchment cupcake liners.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.

Add in milk, vegetable oil, sour cream, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined with the dry ingredients. Do no over mix.

Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop, about 3/4 full.

Bake for 20 minutes, until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back slightly when touched.

Remove the cupcake pan from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.

Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp heavy cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, add in room temperature unsalted butter. Whip the butter for 5 minutes on medium-high speed, scraping down the sides occasionally. The butter will be light, fluffy, and pale in color.

Add one half of the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed setting until fully combined. Add remaining powdered sugar and continue to mix on low until incorporated.

Add vanilla extract and salt and mix on low until combined. Slowly drizzle in the heavy cream.

Turn the speed on the mixer to medium-high and whip for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure the frosting is well mixed.

If desired, switch to a paddle attachment on the stand mixer and mix buttercream on low speed for 2 additional minutes to remove air bubbles to create smooth frosting.

Pipe onto the cupcakes with a pastry bag and desired piping tip.

(Cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To serve, bring them back to room temperature.

To keep up with my Easter theme, I shaved chocolate from a Hershey bar using a cheese slicer. I did this directly over the top of the cupcake, already topped with frosting, and let the shavings fall wherever they wanted. (You may have to rearrange a few to get the full effect.)

I topped my little nests with MnM eggs. (Cadbury was sold out!) These colors were perfect, though!

This whole experience was fun. It was a lot of work, honestly, but worth every minute. I was so proud of these babies. They looked incredible and tasted delicious. The family was impressed, and the littles thought they were the coolest things ever.

Mission accomplished.