Food // Recipe // Creme Egg Cupcakes

This weekend I decided my K-Mix had been sitting idle for too long.  Not content to make the usual red velvet or chocolate cake, I started searching for Easter themed recipes and I came across one for creme egg cupcakes by Warm Vanilla Sugar.

I've tried a few cupcake recipes over the years and find that the The Hummingbird Bakery chocolate cupcakes with their vanilla frosting are my favourite, so I followed that recipe and added the mini creme eggs (a frozen one in the centre and one on top).

The end result was pretty sickly.  The cake itself was moist and because the mini cream egg was frozen beforehand they all ended up at the bottom of the cake (so you need to be careful when you're taking the wrapping off or else it'll end up in the bottom of the case!).  I also went a bit wrong on the "yolk" colouring, I wanted it more yellow-orange but added too much red...

Here are the recipes I used:

Hummingbird Bakery chocolate cupcakes

Ingredients

• 100g plain flour
• 20g cocoa powder
• 140g caster sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• 40g soft unsalted butter
• 120ml whole milk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 3. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Put the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and butter in a large bowl and beat on a slow speed with an electric hand mixer until well combined and a sandy consistency.
3. Whisk the egg, milk and vanilla extract together in a jug and add half to the dry mixture.
4. Beat slowly to combine and then more quickly to beat out any lumps.
5. Add the remaining liquid mixture and beat slowly to combine. Do not overmix.
6. Transfer the mixture into the cake cases until 2/3 full and bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven until they spring back to the touch. A skewer inserted should come out clean.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack

Hummingbird Bakery vanilla frosting

Ingredients

• 250g icing sugar, sifted
• 80g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 25ml whole milk
• a couple of drops of vanilla extract

 Method

1. Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.
2. Turn the mixer down to slow speed. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture a couple of tablespoons at a time. Once all the milk has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed.
3. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

Both recipes are from The Hummingbird Bakery Cook Book