Can you believe it is almost Easter? Seems like yesterday that it was Christmas! But spring is around the corner now, making way for some delicious spring and Easter bakes! So, today I am sharing with you my recipe for my Easter chocolate cupcakes that are topped with chocolate buttercream and mini eggs!
The Basic Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
Everybody loves cupcakes, and these chocolate cupcakes are a real treat! The cake mix is really easy to make as it follows a simple all-in-one method. This cupcake batter contains ground almonds, which makes these chocolate cupcakes super moist and tasty! I just love them!
It can sometimes be difficult to achieve a perfect-looking and tasting cupcake, so for some tips and tricks, why not check out my Baking Basics post on How to Make the Perfect Cupcake?
If you prefer a vanilla cupcake, check out my recipe here.
Melt-in-the-Mouth Chocolate Buttercream
If buttercream wasn´t already decadent enough, try making it into chocolate buttercream! By simply replacing a small part of the icing sugar with sifted cocoa powder, you can transform your usual buttercream into chocolate buttercream. It is perfect for piping on top of your chocolate cupcakes to decorate!
Check out my baking basics post on How to Make the Perfect Buttercream, to read about some tips and tricks for success and also learn how to make buttercream dairy-free or vegan!
Decorate these chocolate cupcakes for Easter!
Of course, you can decorate these chocolate cupcakes in any way you like. Whether you just want to decorate them with sprinkles or fondant decorations, or for a specific season like Christmas or Easter. I love making these chocolate cupcakes into little chocolate nests for Easter. To do so, I crumble over a flaky chocolate bar, such as Cadbury´s flake or twirl, or a Galaxy ripple.
And, of course, no Easter bake would be complete without some Mini Eggs! Who doesn´t love these little sugar-coated milk chocolate eggs? I always need to buy two small or a large family pack when using them to decorate, because I eat so many whilst I´m decorating that otherwise, I wouldn´t have enough! Another idea would be to decorate these chocolate cupcakes with some homemade chocolate decorations! Check out my Baking Basics on Mastering Chocolate to find out how to make some!
Did someone say bake sale?
These chocolate cupcakes are also perfect for bake sales! If you need more, simply double-up the recipe to make 24 of them! It´s really easy to do and they will go down an absolute storm!
If you are looking for a good portable cake carrier, the one I use is excellent! I can really recommend it. It comes with two large rectangular boxes that could fit a traybake and has plastic inserts for cupcakes to prevent them from slipping around in the box. I´ll leave a link here for you if you want to check it out (not an affiliate link. I don´t get paid to recommend this box (I wish😅) it´s just my genuine opinion)
More Easter Recipes
Are you looking at baking more Easter recipes or hosting an Easter Sunday Brunch? Then why not also give some of the following recipes a try?
Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream
Zesty Fruit and Orange Scones
Cheese Scones
Swiss Roll filled with Strawberry Jam and Fresh Cream
Cheddar Cheese and Chive Soda Bread
Crusty Sourdough Bread
Ultimate Guacamole Recipe
Egg Omelettes with Cream Cheese, Avocado and Smoked Salmon
Best-ever Carrot Cake Traybake
Easter Chocolate Cupcakes | Chocolate Buttercream & Mini Eggs
Recipe
Ingredients:
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp hot water
- 165g self-raising flour
- 75g ground almonds
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 165g butter, softened
- 165g caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp milk
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
- 175g butter, softened
- 325g icing sugar, sifted
- 25g cocoa powder, sifted
- 2-3 tbsp milk
TO DECORATE
- 24 Cadbury’s mini eggs, or other sugar-coated chocolate eggs
- 1 flaky chocolate bar (e.g. Flake, Twirl or a Galaxy Ripple)
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 190°C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
- Start by combining the cocoa powder and hot water in a large bowl to make a chocolatey paste. Then add in all the remaining cupcake ingredients and beat well, until everything is well combined, and you have a smooth cake batter.
- Evenly divide the mixture between the 12 cases (for the most accurate results, way the mixture as explained in my post to achieve the perfect cupcake). Level the mixture in the cases with the back of a teaspoon.
- Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 18-20 mins, until well risen and springy to the touch.
- Leave the cakes to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then remove the cupcakes and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
- In the meantime, make the buttercream. Start by sieving the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the butter until soft and slightly paler and fluffy using a wooden spoon or electric hand whisk.
- Next, add in half of the sugar-cocoa-powder mixture and 1 tbsp of milk and beat until incorporated. Add in the remaining sugar and whisk again until smooth. If needed, you can add a little more milk until you achieve the right consistency. The chocolate buttercream should be smooth, but still thick enough to pipe.
- Spoon the chocolate buttercream into a large piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe a swirl of the chocolate buttercream on top of each cake. Crumble up the chocolate and scatter of the buttercream to create a “nest”. Then decorate each cake with 2 mini eggs to finish.
