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A chocolate cupcake decorated with chocolate frosting and sprinkles to look like a bird's nest, with three chocolate candy eggs in the middle.
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5 from 1 vote

Bird's Nest Cupcakes

These Bird's Nest Cupcakes are such a fun Easter treat. They are so easy to make, and can make a cute decoration and dessert for Easter.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Servings: 24
Calories: 408kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Cupcakes:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup hot water

For the Chocolate Buttercream:

  • 1 cup butter (room temperature)
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 3-5 TBS heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 dash salt

For Bird's Nest Decorations:

  • 1/2 cup chocolate jimmies
  • 72 chocolate egg shaped candies

Instructions

For the Chocolate Cupcakes:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
  • In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, soda, and salt. Whisk them together, and set aside.
  • In another bowl add the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract and whisk them together till smooth.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until they are well combined. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  • Add the hot water and mix until everything is just blended. (It will be very thin)
  • Pour the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tins, about 2/3 full each.
  • Bake for about 18-22 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out with a few soft crumbs.
  • Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the Chocolate Buttercream:

  • In a large bowl mix the butter until it's smooth. Beat for about 2 minutes.
  • Add in the powdered sugar, and cocoa powder. Beat until they're well mixed.
  • Add in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt and mix until smooth.
  • Once combined, raise the speed to medium high, and beat until the frosting is nice and fluffy.
  • Scoop the frosting into a piping bag with a piping tip (I like the 1M tip) and pipe onto the cooled cupcakes. Pipe a thin layer around the whole top of the cupcake, then a higher layer on the sides of the cupcake to make the sides of the bird nest.

For Bird's Nest Decorations:

  • Spread the chocolate sprinkles around the top of the frosting on each cupcake evenly.
  • Add three chocolate candy eggs to the middle of the bird's nests.

Nutrition

Calories: 408kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 285mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 300IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg