It’s officially springtime!!
Time to bust out the shorts, sandals and Easter decorations!!! I love this time of year. Longer days and nicer weather. Playing outside and baseball games. It sounds so cheesy but I love it all.
For the last several years, I’ve made these cupcakes around Easter time. Now, I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t love cupcakes. Not sure why. When the whole cupcake craze started and there were like a million cupcake stores, I was like, “I don’t get it”. Sorry if I offend you, oh cupcake lover, but I just don’t get excited about it. Maybe I need to branch out and start making more cupcakes?? Guess what? I’ve been blogging about food for one year now and this is my FIRST cupcake post!! Yep. I guess the time has come to branch out. 🙂
Anyway, my kids get excited when I make these. This year my oldest decided he was going to help. It was so fun to have him in the kitchen with me. In fact, he did most of the work on these. Bravo, Justin!This recipe is a homemade cake-like vanilla cupcake that’s topped with a blue tinted glaze. Add a little green coconut grass and some Robin’s eggs candies and you have the cutest cupcakes at your Easter party!
Ingredients
- 2/3 cups sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2/3 cup water
- 2-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/3 cups cake flour
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- GLAZE:
- 24 ounces powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2-1/2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
- 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 3 drops blue food coloring
- COCONUT GRASS:
- 1 cup coconut
- several drops green food coloring to desired darkness
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup cupcake tins with paper liners. To avoid cupcakes sticking on top of pans if they overflow slightly, spray the tops of pans with cooking spray.
- In a food processor, blend sugar and butter until very creamy, scraping down sides as needed, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the two whole eggs and the two yolks one at a time, pulsing after each addition. Add the milk, water and vanilla and process to blend.
- Whisk both flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches to the wet, pulsing and then scraping batter off the sides of processor when needed. Process until very smooth with a consistency like pancake batter.
- Evenly pour the batter into prepared cupcake tins, filling them 3/4 full. Bake until the cakes are just firm and spring back when gently pushed and the tops are golden, 18 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly in tin and turn out of tin when cool enough to handle. Cool cupcakes completely before glazing.
- To make glaze: Put the sugar in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. With the mixer on the lowest speed, slowly add the water, the corn syrup and vanilla extract. Raise the speed to high and beat for 2 minutes until completely smooth and glossy. Add food coloring.
- Place coconut in a large plastic baggie. Add food coloring and close bag. Mix around coconut, shaking bag, until all the green is distributed.
- To assemble, place cooled cupcakes on a cooling rack and dip each cupcake top in glaze. Set back down on tray and let dry for a few minutes. Then using a knife, spread a second layer of glaze (warning: this process can get messy!) onto each cupcake. While the second layer is still glossy, add malted candy eggs to the middle of the cupcake top. Then carefully sprinkle coconut around eggs.
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @JenNikolaus or tag #YummyHealthyEasy!
And there you have it! The cutest Easter Basket Cupcakes around!
Looking for more dessert ideas?
Hi Jen, just stopping by to say how delightful your blog is. Thanks so much for sharing. I have recently found your blog and am now following you, and will visit often. Please stop by my blog and perhaps you would like to follow me also. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Chris
http://chelencarter-retiredandlovingit.blogspot.ca/
These are adorable and look delicious!
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof
These look amazing! And the quality of your pictures is AWESOME! Following you back and looking forward to reading more!
Phylicia
http://heartsncraftsboutique.blogspot.com/
Pinned! Thanks for linking up to Saturday Dishes! Have a great week!~ Paula
These are so cute … 🙂
Thank you for linking to Raising Imperfection.
Please come back Friday to see if you were featured. 🙂
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(¸¤ Lanaya | xoxo
http://www.raising-reagan.com
Those are so cute and festive!
Thanks for sharing your favorite post at Raising Imperfection! We feature our favorites on Friday, make sure to come back and check.
Leslie
Looks cute! & yummy good.
Looks cool with eatable grass too!!!!!,!!!!!!!!!!!!!,!!!!,!!!!!!,!!!!,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh WOW Jen!! They are so cute and they look delicious!
Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer… From Dream To Reality last week! HAPPY EASTER!!
I love the simplicity of these. Thanks for sharing on Saturday Dishes and I hope you’ll return this week when we feature all things strawberry. Pinned!