Easter Nest Cupcakes

Next to Halloween, Easter is my favorite time of the year to bake cupcakes. They are so many cool & cute designs you can decorate your cupcakes with! Seriously, Easter should last at least another month or so for me to make all kinds of sweet cupcake designs. For now, I have to discipline myself and only make a few … There’s always next year!

Today I made Easter Nest Cupcakes. I made these last year as well, but now I have Wilton’s #233 piping tip, so I could actually pipe grass. Hooray! I used an ordinary vanilla cake with buttercream frosting. No, actually not ordinary: Magnolia Bakery’s Vanilla Cake and Buttercream Frosting aka my new go-to vanilla cake! Rating: 5 out of 5.


These are some of the other Easter cupcakes I've made.
For recipe and how-to's click on the picture.





Vanilla Cupcakes: Magnolia Bakery - More From Magnolia

Ingredients: makes 24
- 1 ½ cup self-rising flour
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
- In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.
- Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.




Vanilla Buttercream Frosting: Magnolia Bakery - More From Magnolia

Ingredients: for one 2-layer 9-inch cake, or 24 cupcakes
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:
- Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar.
- If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.


I love the texture of these cupcakes; they're soft but not spongy, and they have an intense vanilla flavor!

Easter egg cupcake liners.

Three pastel buttercream frostings.

My new Wilton #233 tip.

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2.

3.

4.

5. (jelly beans)

Yummy yummy in my tummy!

They're so cute, I love them ♥!

I know it's a little early but,
Happy Easter!