Easter Birds Nest Cupcakes

These Birds Nest Cupcakes will make such a cute and fun addition to your Easter dinner table! And they are adorable for birthdays or baby showers too.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Birds Nest Cupcakes, Easter Cupcakes, easy cupcake recipe

Prep Time: 45

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 1 5

Servings: servings

Calories: 730kcal

Author: Donnalea

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
2½ cup salted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup sugar
3 egg whites
¾ cup milk
2 Tablespoons oil

Coconut Grass

2 cups shredded coconut sweetened or unsweetened - your choice
2 Tablespoons water
food coloring I used Wilton Performance colors - 1 drop blue, 5 drops yellow

Icing

½ cup salted butter
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
½ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons cream
36 chocolate mini eggs

Instructions

Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350˚F and assemble ingredients. Line muffin tins with parchment or paper cups.
Combine the flour and baking powder.
In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg whites till slightly foamy.
In a separate bowl, beat the butter and vanilla on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually add in the sugar till incorporated. Turn to high speed and beat for 2 minutes scraping the side.
On low speed, add egg whites a small amount at a time, allowing to incorporate after each addition.
Using low speed, alternate adding the flour and milk until finished and just combined. Add in oil and mix just to incorporate.
Fill cupcake tins ⅔ full of batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Check for doneness every 2 minutes once it reaches the 15 minute mark.
Cool completely. Once cooled scoop out a hole in the middle of each cupcake. At this point you can freeze the cupcakes to make frosting easier.

Coconut Grass

Mix the water and food coloring and add to coconut. Mix till combined. Turn out onto a baking sheet to dry. You can dab it with a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture, or you can put into a 200˚F oven for 30 minutes to speed up the drying process.

Icing

Beat butter and vanilla till creamy.
Combine powdered sugar and cornstarch.
Add sugar mixture ½ cup at a time, alternating with cream until light and fluffy.

Assembly!

Frost each cupcake with icing. Immediately sprinkle the coconut, covering the entire top. Press coconut into icing slightly so it adheres well.
Nestle 3 mini eggs into each 'nest'. Cover till ready to serve.

Notes

Calorie count is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.

Make coconut grass a day ahead to allow the coconut to dry.

Nutrition