Robin's Egg Cupcakes

Robin's Egg Cupcakes are a fun and festive treat you need to try this Easter. Moist and fluffy vanilla cupcakes are topped with blue buttercream frosting, mini eggs, and speckled with chocolate. They are just as delicious as they are pretty to look at.

Follow our easy step-by-step tutorial and have fun making these Easter cupcakes in under one hour - or even faster if you get the kids to help. These cupcakes are the perfect holiday dessert to enjoy at Easter parties or to package up and gift to family and friends.

Why You'll Love these Robin's Egg Cupcakes

• A beautiful dessert. These gorgeous cupcakes are topped with pale blue, melt-in-your-mouth buttercream icing that actually tastes good and is topped with mini eggs and speckled with chocolate which makes look so cute AND taste so good.
• Easy homemade recipe. These vanilla cupcakes and the buttercream are all made from scratch - no boxed cake mixes or ready-made buttercream icing here! It is so easy to make bakery style cupcakes in your very own kitchen.
• Simple ingredients. This recipe requires a few basic pantry and refrigerator staples like flour, baking powder, butter, and eggs. No artificial ingredients here! So if you like to bake, you will likely already have most (if not all) of these ingredients already at home.
• Totally customizable. Robin's egg cupcakes are fun to decorate with icing and chocolate eggs - and you can get even more creative with other edible embellishments if you like. Change up the color of the icing, top with different candies, or add sprinkles.
• Perfect as gifts. Place these cute Easter cupcakes in a box or wrap and tie with a ribbon. They are a great thoughtful gift for family and friends.

Ingredient Notes

To make these festive Robin's Egg Cupcakes for Easter, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):

• all-purpose flour - ideal for making perfectly soft and fluffy cupcakes.
• baking powder - the leavening agent used to make the batter rise as it bakes, making the cupcakes tender and crumbly.
• salt - omit the salt in the recipe if using salted butter.
• butter - if you have salted butter, make sure to omit the salt in this recipe to balance the flavors.
• white sugar
• eggs - binds the ingredients together and give the cupcakes a richer flavor, structure, and nice golden color.
• vanilla extract - use the same amount of vanilla bean paste for a slight flavor boost.
• buttermilk - you can also substitute with whole milk.
• confectioners' sugar - this powder-like sugar will give you a smooth and silky buttercream icing.
• food coloring - you will need a couple drops of blue liquid food coloring for these cupcakes. You can also use gel food coloring if that is what you have on hand.
• heavy cream - or milk to thin out the icing to the desired consistency of buttercream.
• mini eggs - we used Cadbury mini eggs but you can use any kind of chocolate eggs.
• cocoa powder - we mix this with vanilla extract to create perfect speckles.

Baking Tools and Equipment

You will also need the following baking tools and equipment:

• 12-cup muffin pan
• cupcake liners
• measuring cups and spoons
• mixing bowls
• hand mixer and/or stand mixer
• wire cooling rack
• large and small piping bags
• Wilton 8B piping tip (open star tip)
• couplers (for securing the tips to the piping bags)

How to Make the Best Robin's Egg Cupcakes

First, make the vanilla cupcakes.

1. Prep. Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare 2 cupcake pans with 14 cupcake liners total.
2. Combine dry ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, and salt, and whisk well to combine. Set aside.
3. Combine wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter and white sugar. Beat together using an electric hand mixer for 1-2 minutes. Add in the eggs and vanilla, and beat well with the mixer for 2-3 minutes, or until well combined and volumized.

1. Combine ingredients together. Add ⅓ of the dry mixture into the batter and mix on low speed until combined. Add ½ of the buttermilk and beat again on low until combined. Continue by adding and beating the dry mixture and the buttermilk, finishing with the dry mixture.

1. Scoop batter. Use a cookie scoop or spoons to evenly scoop and disperse the batter into the prepared cupcake liners (14 total), filling them each ⅔ full.

1. Bake. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
2. Cool. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer them onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Next, make buttercream frosting.

1. Make the buttercream. Add butter into a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment). Beat on high for 3-5 minutes, until the butter looks fluffy and pale. Sift the confectioners' sugar into the butter, and beat on low until combined.
2. Color the icing. Add in the vanilla, food colouring, and 1 tablespoon of milk. Add up to 2 tablespoons more milk until you reach your desired consistency. Beat for another 1-2 minutes, or until fluffy and well combined.

Next, decorate the cupcakes.

1. Transfer icing to piping bag. Place the frosting into a large piping bag fitted with a Wilton 8B tip.
2. Pipe frosting. Carefully pipe one layer of frosting in a circular ring pattern onto each cupcake.
3. Add mini eggs. Place 3 mini eggs onto the centre of each frosted cupcake.

Finally, add speckles.

1. Combine ingredients. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa and vanilla until smooth.
2. Create speckles. Using a clean, stiff paint or pastry brush, dip the brush into the cocoa mixture, then gently shake off any excess. While holding the brush with one hand, use the other hand to pull the bristles back, point at the cupcake (aiming for the frosting and eggs), then slowly release the bristles to create the speckles.
3. Dry. Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Allow speckles to dry before serving.

How to Serve Easter Cupcakes

These Robin's Egg Cupcakes are the star of the show on any dessert table, so why not display them in a way to make them shine? Here are a few ways on how you can serve them:

• Use cake or cupcake stands. A cupcake stand gives these Easter cupcakes some elevation to stand out and shine. Cupcake or cake stands are also a great way to save some space on. the dessert table.
• Make a dessert board. Think of a Charcuterie board - but with desserts. Use any board shape you like and place these cupcakes on top. Then arrange other delicious Easter treats around the board. Try Mini Egg Easter Fudge, Easter Egg Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, candies, and sprinkles.
• Place them in single-serve boxes. If you are planning to use them as a thoughtful party favor to takeaway, place these mini egg cupcakes in festive boxes or wrap them individually.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

Make Ahead Instructions

If you're hosting an Easter party, you can make these cupcakes a few days ahead of time and store them at room temperature unfrosted until you're ready to decorate them the day of the party. This will keep them soft and moist.

You can also make the buttercream frosting in advance and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up two weeks or up to 3 months in the freezer. If frozen, allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before using.

How to Store

Once the cupcakes have cooled, you can place them in an airtight container and store them at room temperature in a dry, cool area for up to three days. If you want to store them longer, place them in the fridge for up to 5 days. Note that they may loose some moisture and dry out when stored in the fridge.

How to Freeze

You can also freeze these Easter cupcakes. If you are planning to do this, I recommend freezing them before frosting.

• Freeze before frosting: Wrap the unfrosted cupcakes in plastic cling wrap and place them in a freezer-friendly airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to three months. Allow them to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before icing and serving.
• Freeze after frosting: If you've already frosted the cupcakes, you can still freeze them. Place frosted cupcakes on a baking tray and freeze until hard, about 1 hour. Then, wrap them tightly in plastic cling wrap, and then place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.

More Easter Dessert Recipes

• 30 Best Easter Desserts
• Bunny Ears Easter Cupcakes
• Mini Egg Easter Fudge
• Easter Egg Sugar Cookies
• Carrot Cake Cookies
• Mini Egg Cookies

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