Easter Egg Nest Cupcakes are the perfect treat for your spring celebrations with tender vanilla cakes, creamy frosting, and candy egg topping.
Although there’s plenty of Easter candy to go around, that’s not the same as a homemade dessert to share with the family after a holiday meal. These vanilla cupcakes are the perfect option for serving after Easter Dinner, bringing to an Easter egg hunt, or sharing at any other Spring event when you want something seasonal and delicious for everyone to enjoy.
Cupcakes are a crowd-pleasing and shareable Dessert Recipe that you can make for so many occasions. For more festive Cupcake Recipes, try my Valentine’s Cupcakes, 4th of July Cupcakes, and Halloween Cupcakes.
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Sabrina’s Easter Egg Nest Cupcakes Recipe
These festive Easter Egg Nest Cupcakes are the perfect Spring dessert for any Easter celebration this year! They are easy to make but look like you picked them up from a bakery. My classic buttery vanilla cake plus the toasted coconut in the topping balance the frosting and candy pieces so these delicious cupcakes are just the right amount of sweet. Everyone is sure to love these delicious and adorable cakes!
They start with my classic Vanilla Cupcake base which bakes up tender and fluffy. You can decorate this same cupcake base in a variety of ways depending on the occasion, so definitely bookmark the recipe! For this Easter version, I topped the cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and decorated them with toasted coconut flakes and candied egg shaped chocolates to make a cute and festive edible nest decoration.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter: Divide the butter into ¾ cup for the cupcakes and ¼ cup for the frosting. Adding butter to baked goods gives them a richer flavor and a more tender crumb.
- 1 ⅓ Cups Sugar: To sweeten the vanilla cupcakes, add granulated sugar to the cupcake batter.
- 3 Large Eggs: Eggs play an important role in cake recipes. They help to emulsify the other ingredients into one cohesive batter and add structure and flavor.
- 2 ½ Teaspoons Vanilla Extract: Add 2 teaspoons vanilla to the batter and a ½ teaspoon to the frosting. Vanilla enhances the sweet recipe for a richer overall taste.
- 1 Cup Whole Milk: Milk hydrates the batter for a moist, soft cupcake. Let the milk come to room temperature for a smoother consistency.
- 2 ¼ Cups Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or cake flour for this recipe. Cake flour works wonderfully because it’s lower in gluten, resulting in more airy and less chewy cake.
- ¼ Teaspoon Baking Powder: Add a little baking powder to the dry ingredients for the leavening agent to make the cakes rise.
- 12 Ounces Cream Cheese: For rich, creamy, and tangy frosting, use softened cream cheese and butter as the base ingredients.
- 2 Tablespoons Sour Cream: Mixing sour cream into your cream cheese frosting adds to the tangy flavor and helps to thin out the mixture.
- 4 Cups Powdered Sugar: Confectioner’s sugar is perfect for frosting because it adds lots of sweetness, but its light consistency doesn’t weigh down the fluffy texture.
- 1 ½ Cups Sweetened Shredded Coconut: Toast shredded coconut to use the golden brown pieces to form a little nest on top of the Easter Cupcakes.
- 1 Cup Easter Egg Chocolates: Top the coconut nests off with your favorite chocolate candy eggs.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Muffin Tins: This recipe makes enough batter for two standard-sized, 12-cup muffin tins. If you only have one pan, you can simply bake the cupcakes in two batches.
- Cupcake Liners: To keep the batter from sticking to the pan, line your baking tin with paper cupcake liners. You can use plain liners or pastel-colored liners for a more decorative touch.
- Stand Mixer: Using a stand mixer to combine the batter and frosting makes for a quick and easy recipe. You could also use a handheld electric mixer if you don’t have a stand mixer.
- Mixing Bowl: Use a separate bowl to combine the dry ingredients before adding them to the large mixing bowl with the wet ingredients.
- Skillet: Use a medium, nonstick skillet to toast the coconut flakes for the perfect cupcake decoration.
How to Make Easter Egg Nest Cupcakes
Time needed: 33 minutes.
- Prep Time
To begin, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then, butter and line two 12-cup muffin pans.
- Dry Ingredients
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, then set it aside.
- Wet Ingredients
Add butter and sugar to your stand mixer and beat for 2-3 minutes at medium speed until light and fluffy. Then, add one egg at a time, mixing for 15 seconds before adding the next egg. Mix in the vanilla extract, then lower the mixer speed.
- Milk and Flour
Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk to the stand mixer until all is added and just combined.
- Baking Time
Fill the muffin liners 2/3 full with cupcake batter and bake for 18-20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool completely then add the frosting.
- Cream Cheese Frosting
Add softened cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla to your stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Then, add one cup of powdered sugar at a time, mixing until incorporated into a smooth, creamy frosting.
- Toast Coconut
Add shredded coconut to a skillet over medium heat. Toast until lightly browned, then transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Frost Cupcakes
Pipe a circle of frosting on top of the cupcake with a well as the center.
- Nest
Add the toasted coconut to the center of the frosting.
- Candy Eggs
Top the nests with a candy egg.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, you can prep your cupcakes in advance to have them ready for Easter. If you plan to make this cupcake recipe ahead of time, wait to frost them. You can keep the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature and the frosting in a covered container in the fridge. Then, add the frosting and decorations on the day of.
Nutritional Facts
Baking Cupcakes Tips & Tricks
Make perfectly tender and fluffy Easter Cupcakes with these helpful tips!
- Avoid Dense Cupcakes
- There are a few pitfalls that result in dense cakes. To avoid these, make sure your oven temperature is accurate, thoroughly cream the butter and sugar mixture, and be careful not to over mix the batter.
- Test Doneness
- For perfectly baked cupcakes, wait until the tops are rounded and golden brown. You can check that the center is baked through by inserting a toothpick into the middle of one of the cupcakes. If the toothpick comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, then the cupcakes are ready to take from the oven.
What to Pair With Easter Cupcakes
Drinks: You can enjoy your dessert recipe with a glass of milk, a cup of coffee, or freshly brewed tea. You can also whip up a more festive beverage like Orange Julius, which will add to the festive flavors and colors at Easter.
Dessert: Cupcakes are delicious on their own, but if you want to make this into a more decadent dessert dish, serve the cupcake with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream or Strawberry Ice Cream.
How to Store
- Store: Before frosting, cupcakes can stay good in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Add a paper towel below and above the cupcakes to collect any built-up moisture. After adding the cream cheese frosting, store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days to keep them fresh.
- Freeze: You can also keep Easter Cupcakes frozen for up to 6 months. Let them cool completely, then place them in a freezer bag or another freezer-safe container to freeze. Thaw frozen cupcakes in the fridge overnight before serving.
Frequent Questions
This recipe shows how to make an adorable coconut nest to add to the cupcakes. However, you can also decorate the sweet treat with pastel sprinkles, sanding sugar, or Easter candies.
Yes. If you want to make this recipe a little simpler, you can pick up a box of vanilla cake mix instead of making the batter from scratch. Check out this Box Cake Mix Hack to make the mix taste just as rich as a bakery cake.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk , room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 12 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar , about 2 pounds
To Finish:
- 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup easter egg chocolates
Instructions
Lemon Layer Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter and line two 12-cup muffin tins with muffin liners.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt then set aside.
- To your stand mixer add the butter and sugar and beat them together until light and fluffy on medium speed, 2-3 minutes, then add in the eggs one at a time, 15 seconds apart along with the vanilla, then lower the speed to low. Add the flour mixture and milk, alternating a little of each at a time.
- Scoop batter 2/3 full in the muffin liners and bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Add the cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla to a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time until smooth and incorporated.
To Finish:
- Add the shredded coconut to a dry skillet on medium heat and stir, toasting it until it is golden brown then remove from heat immediately into a bowl.
- Pipe a nest of frosting to the top of your cupcakes making a well, and spoon toasted coconut on top, or roll the cupcakes in the toasted coconut.
- Top the toasted coconut with easter egg candy.
Nutrition
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Easter Cupcake Variations
Pastel Frosting: To add some color to the cute cupcakes, mix a bit of blue, green, yellow, or red food coloring into the cream cheese frosting. Be sure to add only a couple of drops to achieve a pastel Easter color. You can also divide the frosting into multiple mixing bowls and add a different color to each one, then frost an even amount of cupcakes with each colored frosting.
Chick Cupcakes: Another cute cupcake idea is to decorate the frosted cupcakes with marshmallow peeps. Add marshmallow peeps or to the top of the frosting and coconut nests before serving.
Jelly Beans: If you’re a jelly bean lover, you can replace the chocolate eggs with your favorite flavors and colors of jelly bean eggs. They’ll make for bright, festive Easter Egg Nests.
Frosting: Instead of cream cheese frosting, you can frost Easter Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting or Rich Chocolate Frosting.
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