These Creme Egg Cupcakes are more than just a treat – they’re a celebration! Bite into fluffy chocolate cake, discover a hidden mini egg, and savour the sweet embrace of vanilla frosting, all topped with a majestic, golden-painted masterpiece.
Why Creme Eggs?
A Creme Egg is a popular chocolate confection shaped like an egg, typically enjoyed around Easter. It consists of a thick milk chocolate shell filled with a sweet, white and yellow fondant centre. The white part resembles the albumen and the yellow part, the yolk of a cooked egg. It’s a very popular treat known for its gooey centre and sweet taste.
I remembered when I first spent my Easter in the UK, I noticed the shelves in every supermarket are full of these little treats. I thought I needed to bake something using these popular treats.
Imagine the look on your loved ones’ faces when they bite into these Golden-Painted Creme Egg Surprise Cupcakes. This recipe isn’t just about the taste (although it’s unforgettable), it’s about creating an unforgettable Easter experience. Skip the store-bought treats and embrace the magic of baking with this easy-to-follow recipe. You won’t regret it!
Sweet reasons to make these Golden-Painted Creme Egg Surprise
- Deliciously Unexpected: These cupcakes are more than just your average chocolate cupcake. They hold a delightful gooey Creme Egg surprise in the center, adding a burst of flavor and excitement with every bite.
- Easy to Make: This recipe is perfect for bakers of all skill levels. The ingredients are readily available, making it an accessible and fun baking project.
- Perfect for Easter Celebrations: The festive chocolate and gold-painted decorations make these cupcakes ideal for any Easter gathering, adding a touch of whimsy and joy to your holiday table.
- Fun and Customisable: Decorate these cupcakes to your liking! Sprinkles, edible flowers, or different coloured frosting can be used to personalise them and make them your own.
- A Gift that Impresses: These cupcakes are not only delicious but also visually stunning. They make a thoughtful and impressive gift for friends, family, or even co-workers during the Easter season.
- A Delicious Way to Create Memories: Baking together is a wonderful way to bond with loved ones. Create lasting memories while creating these delightful treats and indulging in their deliciousness.
So, what are you waiting for? Gather your ingredients, preheat your oven, and get ready to bake up some magic with these Golden-Painted Creme Egg Surprise Cupcakes!
What you need for Creme egg cupcakes
For the indulgent chocolate cupcakes:
- All purpose flour – the base for our fluffy and delicious cupcakes. Sift it before adding it into the wet mixture.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – I recommend Dutch-process cocoa powder for a richer chocolate flavour and deeper colour, but regular one will also work.
- Baking soda and baking powder – Leavening agents to help our cupcakes rise beautifully.
- Salt – an essential ingredient for balancing the flavour
- Unsalted butter, softened: Room temperature butter is essential for a smooth and creamy batter. Not greasy but just soft enough texture.
- Caster sugar: Sweetness to balance the richness of the chocolate.
- Light brown sugar: It adds a hint of caramel and toffee notes that complement the chocolate beautifully.
- Eggs & vanilla extract: Binding ingredients and adding essential flavour.
- Sour cream: Adds moisture and creates a tender crumb.
For the creamy vanilla buttercream frosting:
- unsalted butter, softened: Again, room temperature butter creates a smooth and spreadable frosting.
- powdered sugar: The base of our sweet and fluffy frosting.
- vanilla extract:adds delicious flavour.
- Milk; Thins the frosting to the right consistency. However, it depends on the consistency of it, we might not need it at all.
- Pinch of salt: Balances the sweetness of the frosting.
For the finishing touches:
- Mini Creme Eggs: The hidden treasures waiting to be discovered in each cupcake!
- Large Creme Egg: The majestic crown for each cupcake, ready to be transformed with a touch of gold.
- Gold edible paint (optional): Add a touch of whimsy with a golden-painted masterpiece atop each cupcake.
Pro tips for succeed
- Room temperature butter is key! Let your butter soften for about 30 minutes before starting to ensure a smooth batter and frosting.
- Dutch-process cocoa powder creates a deeper colour, but regular cocoa powder is a suitable substitute.
- No sour cream? No problem! You can use yoghurt or buttermilk instead.
Watch my video tutorial
With all these delicious ingredients gathered, you’re ready to embark on your journey to baking these delightful cupcakes! Let’s get started on the next step: Instructions!
How to make the moist chocolate cupcakes
It’s surprisingly simple. There are only two main groups of ingredients, dry ingredients and wet ingredients. You do not even need an electric mixer. I try to make it as simple as I can so that you can create it in your own kitchen.
What you need is to prepare two mixing bowls, a medium one for the dry ingredients while a large one for the wet ingredients.
Although I said it is simple, there are THREE important steps you do need to follow.
Sift the dry ingredients
It helps break up all the clumps, especially the cocoa powder, but also makes it easier to incorporate into the wet ingredients in the next steps.
Mix the wet ingredients
It helps incorporate air into the mixture so that we will have light and fluffy cupcakes. In this recipe, I try to make it as simple as I can. Therefore, I use a hand whisk instead of a hand held mixer. But if you prefer, you can use the electric one instead of training your muscles.
After a few minutes, you will notice that the wet mixture becomes lighter in colour and its volume almost doubles in size. That is exactly what we are looking for.
Fold in sour cream
It takes around 10 seconds or so, because the last thing we want here is to knock all the air that we’ve just whisked in the wet mixture.
Easter Creme Egg Cupcakes
EQUIPMENT
INGREDIENTS
Chocolate cupcakes
- 94 g all purpose flour
- 40 g cocoa powder
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 80 g caster sugar
- 80 g light brown sugar
- 80 ml vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 120 ml sour cream
Vanilla Buttercream
- 250 g unsalted butter (softened)
- 375 g icing sugar (sifted)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ – 1 tbsp milk (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the cupcakes
- Line a 12-cupcake tin with cupcake liners and preheat the oven to 170 ℃.
- Take a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix them well using a whisk and set aside.
- Take a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, caster sugar, light brown sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Whisk using a hand held whisk until the mixture almost doubles in size and the colour turns lighter brown. This takes around 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add in the sour cream and give it a quick mix.
- Sift the dry ingredient mix into the wet mixture.
- Mix well using a silicone spatula until there aren't any dry ingredients visible in the mixture.
- Evenly distribute the mixture into the cupcake liners using an ice cream scoop. Just fill half of each cupcake liner. Do not overfill them to avoid spillage while baking.
- Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for about 17 – 20 minutes or when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven. Let the cupcakes sit in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare the buttercream frosting
- Mix the salt with the sifted icing sugar in a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Place the butter in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl to make sure every bit of the butter is well beaten.
- Then gradually add in the sifted icing sugar mix, spoonful by spoonful until all the icing sugar is added.
- Continue to beat the butter and sugar for about 8 to 10 minutes to develop a creamy and light texture.
- Add the vanilla extract and continue to beat the mixture for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- If the buttercream becomes too thick, add the optional milk, little by little, until the mix reaches a spreadable consistency.
- Roughly divide the buttercream into 2 halves, add a few drops of orange gel food colouring into 1 half.
- Prepare a sheet of cling film on a flat surface. Roll the orange buttercream into a sausage shape and then do the same with the buttercream without colouring. Place them side by side on the cling film. Lift up one side of the cling film and carefully wrap it around both strips of buttercream. Roll both strips into a log. Twist both ends of the cling film to secure them. Cut a hole in one end to prepare for piping.
- Place a closed star piping tip into a piping bag and cut a hole at the top. Place the buttercream log into the piping bag. Twist the end and secure it with a rubber band.
Assemble the cupcakes
- Mix the gold dust with a few drops of lemon extract to create a paint consistency using a paint brush. You can use any transparent extract of your liking, including Vodka.
- Get creative, paint a few strokes on top of the Creme Egg to create a gold brush effect or any decoration of your liking.
- Use a cupcake corer or a sharp knife to create a hole in the centre in each cupcake.
- Place a mini Creme Egg into the hole and cut a thin layer of the cupcake core to cover the hole so that the egg is hidden.
- Start piping the two tone buttercream on top. Hold the piping bag straight and apply gentle pressure. Pipe a swirl on top of the cupcake. While piping, slowly twist the piping bag to create a ruffle effect. To finish, release the pressure and lift up the piping bag.
- Finally, place the golden-painted Creme Egg on top.
- Enjoy! Have a happy Easter!
VIDEO TUTORIAL
NOTES
- Please watch my video tutorial for step-by-step instructions in action.
- The cupcakes can keep for 3 days in an airtight container. However, it’s the best to consume on the same day.
- Get creative, you can decorate the cupcakes in any style of your liking.
NUTRITION
More recipes for your next bakes!
Hot Cross Buns – A truly Easter warm delight!
Easter cookies decorating – a fun cookie project for your Easter celebration!
Happy Easter and Happy Baking!
