Mini Egg Cupcakes

My mini egg cupcakes are a perfect balance of rich and deeply chocolatey cupcakes, soft and light vanilla buttercream ruffle, and delicious mini eggs to finish it off. If you’re looking for an Easter themed cupcake that everyone will enjoy, look no further: you’ve found it!

This year’s obsession: mini eggs!

So Easter baking season is well underway, this year I’ve found myself a little obsessed with these gorgeous sugar-shell coated chocolate mini eggs. Perfectly bite-sized, these are fab little chocolate morsels perfect for just munching on, but I love incorporating them in my bakes too!

Of course, for me my baking has to also be about visual appeal. So when considering the buttercream for these beauties (I already knew the cupcakes had to be chocolatey!), I wanted to hold onto the sweet springtime colours of mini eggs. Hence, the obvious decision was to use the same colours for my buttercream. I love this technique too: it looks so impressive and fun, but it’s actually really quite easy to do, I promise!

For me, the soft pastel colours of mini eggs, this delightful buttercream and the scrumptious chocolate cake under it all is just too good to resist! I’m sure you’ll love these mini egg cupcakes as much as I do too!

What ingredients do I need to make these mini egg cupcakes?

• Unsalted butter: as with all my recipes, I like to use unsalted butter so I can control how much salt is in the bake. For best results, use butter at room temperature.
• Self raising flour: I use self raising flour for this bake, for a lighter cake. If you don’t have self raising flour, add an extra ½ tsp baking powder to plain flour instead.
• Cocoa powder: for all that chocolatey yumminess!
• Caster sugar: I use caster sugar in this bake but you could use brown sugar too if you wish.
• Baking powder: the leavening agent in the bake, to give your cupcakes extra rise and lightness!
• Eggs: helps with the structure of the cupcakes.
• Coffee granules: dissolved in boiling water. This little amount of coffee heightens the chocolate flavour of your cupcakes, making them richer and deeper in flavour. You won’t taste the coffee, don’t worry. I used instant here, but espresso powder is good too.
• Icing/powdered sugar: used to make your buttercream. Dissolves more easily so your buttercream isn’t grainy.
• Vanilla: for delicious flavour in your buttercream.
• Milk: to help you get the correct consistency for your buttercream so you can pipe it more easily.
• Food colouring: to create the three colours of icing I used here: I used pink, purple and yellow.
• Mini eggs: the star of the cupcake show!

What equipment do I need to make cupcakes?

• Cupcake tin*: you will need 12 hole cupcake/muffin tin to bake your cupcakes in.
• Cupcake cases*: ideally in pretty colours to match your buttercream.
• Digital kitchen scales*: whilst I do provide cup measurements for all my recipes, I always recommend using digital kitchen scales to weigh your ingredients out instead. Weighing out your ingredients is much more accurate than measuring by volume, as you do with cups, and will ensure better results. Digital scales are now relatively inexpensive and widely available.
• Measuring spoons*: for measuring smaller quantites such as tablespoons (tbsp) and teaspoons (tsp), I would recommend getting a set of dedicated measuring spoons as they would be far more accurate than using your everyday eating spoons.
• Sieve*: to remove lumps from your dry ingredients, ensuring it’s all mixed together evenly.
• Stand mixer*/electric hand mixer*: I would highly recommend investing in a good electric mixer, whether stand mixer or hand held electric mixer, to help with your baking. This recipe can, of course, be done entirely by hand, but your bicep will get quite the workout for it! Having these tools makes it much easier and quicker to do your baking.
• Spatula*: for mixing and smoothing your cupcake batter and buttercream, plus scraping down the bowls as you mix.
• Ice cream scoops*: I use ice cream scoops to evenly measure out my batter between my cupcake cases. You can, of course, use two spoons, but I like the accuracy the scoops give me.
• Piping bag*: used for piping your buttercream on your cupcakes.
• Cling film/plastic wrap: This is the secret way to get all your different colours of buttercream in and piping at the same time for that lovely colourful ruffle effect! Keep reading to find out how.
• Piping nozzle*: I used a special nozzle called a Russian ball tip here, from part of a set, to create a beautiful swirl of buttercream.

How to make my mini egg cupcakes

These mini egg cupcakes are actually relatively easy to bring together, there are just a few more steps along the way because of the different colours of icing involved in the ruffle on top. First, we need to make the cupcakes, then the buttercream which is split and coloured in three happy hues, before finally bring them all together. It’s totally worth the effort, I promise!

For the cupcakes:

Step 1: Line your cupcake tin with cupcake cases and set it aside. Preheat your oven to 160C/325F while you make your cupcake batter.

Step 2: In a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, tip in your butter and beat until softened and fluffy. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, caster sugar and baking powder and add in the eggs. Beat your mixture until it has come together and is smooth. Scrape the bowl down, then add in the coffee mixture and beat on low to incorporate it well. One final scrape down, then turn the speed up to high and beat for one minute. Your mixture will turn slightly lighter and be wonderfully smooth.

Step 3: Spoon or scoop your cupcake batter evenly into your prepared cases, making sure not to fill over ⅔ full. Pop your cupcakes in the oven and bake for 22-25 minutes until springy to touch and a toothpick or wooden skewer comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and leave to cool completely before decorating. 

For the buttercream:

Step 1: First, beat your butter until really pale and soft. This should take around 5 minutes. Be patient, it’s worth the wait! Add in your icing sugar, then mix slowly to avoid a sugar cloud. Add in your vanilla and as much milk as you need to make it a smooth, spreadable mixture, then beat on high for a couple of minutes until fluffy and beautiful. Do scrape your bowl down occasionally, so you incorporate anything that might have not been mixed through properly.

Step 2: Once your buttercream is made, but before you colour it, use your spatula to mix and press your buttercream around your mixing bowl for about a minute or so. This smooths out your buttercream, pushing out air bubbles, so giving you a really silky buttercream to work with for your final step. This step is optional, of course, but worth doing to avoid the air bubbles!

Step 3: Split your buttercream into three bowls, then colour each a different colour. I used pink, purple and yellow, but feel free to use any other colours you prefer too! Once you’ve mixed all your colours in evenly, it’s time to place your buttercream into your piping bag. First, lay out a layer of cling film on your work surface. Place rows of each of your colours lengthways along the middle of your cling film, right next to each other. Now roll up your cling film around the buttercream, creating a larger striped buttercream “log” and twist both ends to hold it together. Snip one end open, pop it in your piping bag already fitted with your nozzle, and twist the top. And you’re ready to pipe!

Step 4: When your cupcakes are completely cool, pipe a swirl over each cupcake, then crown each cupcake with three mini eggs. If you want to create a ruffle effect as I did, hold your piping bag upright against your cupcake and twist from left to right as you squeeze the buttercream out, lifting the piping bag as you go. Top with three mini eggs and you’re done! Enjoy!

What can I do if I don’t have any cupcake cases?

If you’ve run out of cupcake cases, you can make your own. Simply find a glass that fits closely in your cupcake tin, then press a square of parchment around the bottom of your glass to shape it before placing your “cupcake case” in your cupcake tin and filling with batter before baking.

How do I know when my mini egg cupcakes are done?

You can tell your cupcakes are done because they will have risen and be firm on top, and springy when lightly pressed. You can also use a toothpick or wooden skewer, poked into the middle of the cupcake: you should have nothing come out sticking to this if your cupcake is baked.

How long do these mini egg cupcakes last and how do I store them?

These cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container and will be fine kept at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Can you freeze cupcakes?

Absolutely! Most cupcakes will freeze well for up to three months.

How to freeze your cupcakes

I recommend freezing cupcakes undecorated. This helps avoid your buttercream being squashed and damaged when frozen. To freeze your cupcakes, make sure they are completely cool first, then wrap each cupcake tightly in cling film and place in a sturdy airtight container before freezing. Using a container will help protect the cupcakes from knocks in the freezer.

How to thaw your cupcakes

Cupcakes thaw very quickly. Depending on the temperature of your room, they can normally be completely thawed in just a few hours. To thaw your cupcakes, remove them from the container and cling film and place each cupcake on a cooling rack, brushing off any ice crystals as you do. Cover with a clean tea towel until you are ready to decorate them.

Can I make these cupcakes gluten free and dairy free?

Absolutely! You can substitute your plain/all purpose flour for a gluten free flour, but do add an additional ¼ tsp Xanthan gum if you can tolerate it. For dairy free options similarly use a plant based butter and milk. Do keep in mind though that mini eggs may be gluten free, but they are not dairy free. Please find a dairy free alternative if you need to.

Additional tips for making this mini egg cupcakes recipe

• Make sure you’ve prepared your tools and ingredients before you start mixing: line your cupcake pan with cupcake cases, preheat your oven and get your ingredients out ready to use. It’s easy to forget something once you start mixing!
• Take time to read through the recipe so you are familiar with what steps come next. Don’t skip details and instructions given as it could affect the results of your final bake.
• I use coffee in chocolate bakes as it enhances the flavour of the chocolate, but you won’t taste it. If however you don’t want to use coffee in your cupcakes, just replace this with 1 tbsp milk instead.
• I bake these cupcakes at a lower temperature so they rise slower and more evenly, giving me a softly rounded top instead of a mountain. The slight dome you get is perfect for piping your buttercream onto, as the slightly raised middle will help with the shaping of your swirl or ruffles!
• Remember to beat your butter plenty enough when making your buttercream. Trust me, this step is totally worth the extra few minutes you’ll spend!
• Ensure your cupcakes are completely cool before decorating with buttercream, otherwise you could end up with a melted liquid mess for buttercream and soggy cupcakes. No one wants that!
• I always use gel colours in my baking, as I find the colours are stronger and less likely to affect the consistency of my buttercream. I have linked below to the exact colours I used for my buttercream colours. And yes, I used a teensy tiny bit of red colour for my pink icing, not a pink colour!

Troubleshooting

If you have any other questions about this recipe, please use the comments below to ask away and I’ll do my best to help! And if you made and enjoyed this, I’d love to hear from you too!

And don’t forget: if you make this recipe for easter egg cupcakes, please do consider leaving a rating and review below, I would love to know how you enjoy making them and it really helps others looking for a recipe too! You could even post a picture on Instagram and tag me when you share it with the world, I’d love to see! 😊

More cupcake recipes for you to enjoy

Don’t forget too to check out these other yummy cupcake recipes on my blog:

Enchanted eggs cupcakes: moist chocolate cupcakes, rich caramel filling, a beautiful chocolate buttercream swirl and enchanted eggs to top it all off. Enchanting!

Moist vanilla cupcakes: these cupcakes are truly a delight! Light and fluffy, this versatile cupcake recipe is a must in any baker’s repertoire!

Black Forest cupcakes: tender and rich chocolate cupcakes laced with Kirsch and filled with black cherry conserve, then topped with a luxurious buttercream swirl and the obligatory cherry on top.

And there it is, mini egg cupcakes are done! Hope you will be baking and enjoying these very soon!

Happy baking, my friends! x

Recommended equipment and ingredients I used *

Cupcake baking tin	Cupcake cases
Digital kitchen scales	Measuring spoons
Sieve	Stand mixer
Electric hand mixer	Spatula
Ice cream scoops	Piping bags
Nozzle (part of a set)	Purple food colour
Pink/red food colour	Yellow food colour