Bird’s Nest Cupcakes

Bird’s nest cupcakes are the perfect treat for your Spring and Easter celebrations. A soft vanilla cupcake topped with cream cheese frosting, toasted coconut, and your favorite egg shaped chocolate candies. 

These are such a fun recipe for anyone that loves to celebrate during the Spring. They are festive soft cupcakes with just the perfect amount of sweetness. I love to use the Cadbury mini eggs however choose your favorites to set inside the nest. For an additional step you can flick some brown food coloring from a pastry brush on top of the eggs to give them a speckled appearance. Be ready for these tasty treats to disappear in minutes. 

In this recipe

These vanilla cupcakes are light and soft which makes them perfect for the cream cheese frosting and chocolate eggs. 

Buttermilk: helps keep the cupcakes soft as it prevents the formation of gluten. 

Sour cream: adds moisture to the cupcakes without adding a lot of liquid and also keeps the crumb nice and tender. 

Baking soda: interacts with the sour cream and will make the cupcakes rise. 

Baking powder: is another leavening agent that will give the cupcakes a nice rise. 

Ingredients for bird's nest cupcakes on a wooden board
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Everything at room temperature

Ever wondered why your cupcakes might rise at weird angles and look like they exploded? One of the biggest reasons is that not everything in the batter was at room temperature before mixing. You can also get what looks like a curdled batter and that happens when the batter breaks and the cool liquid causes the butter to solidify again. Also this will stop all of the ingredients from evenly mixing. This can cause the exploding cupcakes. 

Cupcake batter in a stand mixer
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Uncooked cupcake batter in a lined muffin pan
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Cooling cupcakes in a muffin tin
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Well of cream cheese frosting on cupcakes
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Keep them even

One of the things you want to try and do is not to overfill the cupcake liners. You don’t want to fill more than 2/3 of the cup. This will allow for the cupcake to rise without spilling over. By doing so it will also ensure that they will cook at the same speed and evenly. I like to use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop. That ensures that you get roughly the same amount in each cupcake.  

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Make a well it's easier

When you are ready to decorate the cupcakes it is much easier to make a well with the frosting than it is to try and set the eggs in afterwards. The wells don’t have to be all that pretty since you are going to coat the outsides with toasted coconut and no one will really see them. This just allow for the eggs to sit nicely on the cupcake. With a piping bag you will want to pipe just enough frosting to cover the top of the cupcake and then make a well about 2 rings high around the edge. 

Close up of bird's next cupcakes
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Looking for other Easter recipes?

bird nest cupcakes
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Bird's Nest Cupcakes

Sean
These are the perfect cupcakes for your Spring and Easter celebrations
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 18 cupcakes
Calories 435 kcal

Equipment

  • 2 Muffin pans
  • Cupcake liners
  • Stand mixer with paddle attachment
  • Spatula
  • Piping bag
  • Mixing bowls
  • SautĂ© pan
  • 3 tablespoon cookie scoop

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • ¾ cup butter unsalted, softened
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar packed
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the Buttercream:

  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • ½ cup butter softened
  • ½ cup cream cheese softened
  • ¼ tsp salt

Toppings

  • 1 cup coconut
  • 1 cup Cadbury mini eggs

Instructions
 

Making the Cupcakes:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F, 177°C, or gas mark 4 and place cupcake liners in the cupcake tin.
  • Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and then sift into a large bowl and set aside.
  • In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium high speed, cream the butter and sugar until light. Then add the eggs one at a time waiting a minute after easy egg. Add the sour cream and vanilla.
  • Reduce the speed to low and add half of the flour mixture, mix until just incorporated, then add the buttermilk mixing until just combined, and follow up with the remaining flour mixture.
  • Fill cupcake papers about â…” the way up or use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the springy to the touch. Allow to cool completely.

Making the Buttercream:

  • While the cupcakes are cooking in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment cream the butter and cream cheese on medium high.
  • Reduce the speed to low and add the powdered sugar and salt. Once all of the sugar has been incorporated increase the speed to high until the frosting is light and fluffy.
  • In a pan cook the coconut until about half of it has toasted and remove from the heat.

Creating the nest:

  • Using a piping bag you will want to to make a thin disk of icing on the top of the cupcake and then create a well by piping another ring or two just around the edges of the cupcake.
  • Gently press sides of the icing into a bowl of the toasted coconut and then place the Cadbury eggs in the well in the middle.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcakeCalories: 435kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 4gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 190mgPotassium: 80mgFiber: 1gSugar: 46gVitamin A: 587IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 65mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition Disclaimer*
Keyword Cupcake, Easter, Spring
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birds nest cupcake pinterest pin
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