Cute, simple, and oh- so- good! These Easter nest cupcakes are my favourite way to use mini eggs every spring, and I think you’ll love this way to use them as well!
My family is one of those with a whole host of favourite Easter traditions; yet somehow, it seems that every year is another excuse to add more traditions and more “favourite things” to our lives. Since being married, I’ve only found that tendency to continue to grow as I now I have the joy of creating core memories for my own children.
How to make the best cupcakes
As someone who has made (and eaten) a lot of cupcakes in her life, I have to say that the best cupcakes are always made with real ingredients. Mom always used to say that you can always tell a good recipe by looking at the ingredients – and she is completely right! Typically you can spot a good cake or cupcake recipe by whether or not it’s made with butter vs. another type of fat, and you should consider your recipe selection great if it contains sour cream or yogurt; these make the most rich, moist cakes of all.
Can I use any cake/cupcake recipe for this tutorial?
Yes! Anything will work, including a cake mix! This tutorial is more for decor than for taste. If you do want a great tasting cupcake, however, make sure you check out the previous paragraph of this post!
Getting the best frosting consistency for cupcakes
The best frosting consistency for those beautiful, thick swirls is a medium/thick consistency. This post has a couple of recipes a little further on that work really well, so make sure to keep reading and check those out!
Do you need special supplies to make these cupcakes?
To be honest, the only “Special” supplies you need are piping bags and large star tips, but if you didn’t have those, a large ziploc bag with the corner snipped off would also work. That said, no, you don’t need anything fancy to make these cupcakes other than the chocolate eggs and shredded wheat cereal for the tops.
How to make the nests
For these cupcakes, I have chosen to make my nests with shredded wheat cereal, since it is the most stringy/straw looking edible thing I could find. If you like the flavour of something else better though, feel free to substitute that for whatever you like! Mini wheats, toasted shredded coconut, assorted sprinkles, or you-name-it!
What colours are best for these cupcakes?
My favourite colours for Easter time are always the soft pastels, and one of my very favourite colours is the Cornflower Blue from Wilton, or a Robin’s egg blue. A nice warm white, soft yellow, or warm pink are also some of my favourites.
How do you make that dark (black) chocolate frosting?
The secret to that dark coloured frosting is with none other than black cocoa powder, and I’ve included the recipe card in this post a little further on. I picked up my black cocoa at my local Bulk Barn, but with a little searching, I was able to find this stuff on Amazon which looks about the same.
How are these cupcakes assembled?
The moment we’ve all been waiting for! I guess it’s about time I shared that with you, eh? Scroll down to find my best frosting recipes and printable instructions for assembling these adorable Easter nest cupcakes!
Printable Tutorial:
Easter Nest Cupcakes
A simple tutorial for decorating Easter cupcakes.
Ingredients
- 12 cupcakes, prepared according to the recipe or package instructions
- 1/2 recipe dark chocolate buttercream
- 1/2 recipe regular buttercream, tinted soft blue
- 1 lrg. piece Shredded Wheat cereal
- 36 mini chocolate Easter eggs
- 1 large star tip
- 4 piping bags (2) 12" and (2) 18" would be ideal
Instructions
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Prepare your cupcakes and frosting as per the recipe or package instructions.
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Assemble all of your ingredients/supplies, and prepare 2 large piping bags fitted with large star tips. Pipe a thick swirl around the top of each cupcake, finishing in the middle. Prepare 6 cupcakes with blue icing and 6 with chocolate, or as desired.
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Using a sharp knife, cut off a slice of the shredded wheat cereal (the piece will break and crumble quite a bit), and arrange in a "Nest" shape on top of the piped swirls on each cupcake.
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Prepare 2 small piping bags, one filled with blue icing and the other with chocolate. Cut a small hole in the top, and squeeze a little bit of the corresponding colour icing onto each nest, to make a "Glue" for the eggs to stick to.
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Arrange 3 chocolate eggs in the centre of each nest, pressing lightly to secure in place.
These cupcakes are best served the day they are prepared, but they can be made up to 2 days in advance.
Dark Chocolate Buttercream
Rich, thick, dark chocolate, and smooth - This frosting recipe is perfect for frosting cakes and cupcakes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened (If using unsalted, add 1/2 tsp. salt to this recipe)
- 4 cups icing sugar
- 3/4 cup black cocoa powder or any other cocoa, but other cocoa powders will make a lighter chocolate frosting
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
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Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until smooth and creamy.
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Add the icing sugar and cocoa alternately with the milk and vanilla until well incorporated, thick, and smooth.
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If the mixture is too thick, add a little milk until it is a good spreading consistency.
Recipe Notes
Store in a sealed container until use. Makes about 3-1/2 cups of frosting, or enough for about 18 cupcakes.
Simple Vanilla Buttercream
A simple, thick, delicious buttercream recipe for decorating cakes and cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened (If using unsalted butter, add 1/2 tsp. salt to this recipe)
- 4 cups icing sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
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Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl until smooth and creamy.
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Add the icing sugar and milk alternately until well combined. Mix in the vanilla and continue beating until thick and creamy.
Recipe Notes
- If the icing is too thick, add a little milk until it's a good spreading consistency.
- I recommend gel food colouring for tinting this recipe; liquid food colour will thin the consistency of the frosting, especially if you are going for bold colours.
- For a pure white frosting, you can substitute vegetable shortening for the butter and clear vanilla extract for the vanilla.
Easter Nest Cupcakes Tutorial Photos
Used in this recipe:
- Ingredients (see tutorial and recipe cards)
- Black cocoa powder (see Dark Chocolate Frosting recipe)
- Shredded wheat cereal
- Mini eggs
- Piping bags
- Large star piping tip
Other Easter dessert ideas:
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Easy Homemade Cheesecake
- Easter Sugar Cookies
- Spring Flower Cookies
- Italian Chocolate Spice Cookies
As always, thanks for stopping in! If you make these cupcakes, I’d love to see your beautiful work! Feel free to tag me on @naomicakesofficial on Instagram so that I can see and share your work!
Bye for now,
–Naomi
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