Easter is coming! And I am excited! I’m up to my ears in Easter eggs and these Speckled Egg Cupcakes are the first Sweetest Menu Easter creation for 2016. I have so many exciting Easter treat ideas but this is the first one to tick off my list.
Buttery vanilla cupcakes topped with creamy vanilla buttercream in gorgeous speckled egg colours topped with speckled Easter eggs. Aren’t they pretty? They will be a wonderful addition to your Easter celebrations and they are a great one to make with the kids. They look festive and taste absolutely delicious!
It has been a cake-filled week here in the Sweetest Menu kitchen. It was my dad’s 60th birthday a few days ago and I asked him what cake he would like. Just a sponge cake please, was the request. Ah, the good old sponge cake. So light and fluffy, filled with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. It’s one of our family’s favourite desserts.
The only problem was I had never made one! So off to the kitchen, I was baking cakes all week. Some turned out a little too spongy, others a little hard and then, the perfect sponge. Soft, springy and absolutely delicious. PHEW!
I love to share desserts with other people but for some reason whenever I have to make something for something (other than my blog or to satisfy my own sweet-tooth) I really feel the pressure. In my head, I always have the perfect vision of a perfect cake and in reality, it can be pretty hard to make a cake look perfect.
There’s always a few crumbs here or there but that is what home cooking is all about right? Rustic, imperfect but made with a lot of love. And there is nothing like the joy of giving or receiving a homemade baked treat.
So just when I thought I was all caked out, I decided to get back in the kitchen to make these cupcakes this weekend. First there’s the buttery and light vanilla cake. Then an easy buttercream that is tinted with a little teal gel food colour.
To get the speckled spots, you just use a little paste made from cocoa powder and then flick it on using a pastry brush or even a clean paint brush. I got this technique from The Cake Blog where they made a Speckled Egg layer cake masterpiece. Finally, there’s a few speckled Easter eggs to pop on top. Gorgeous!
Let's Bake
Speckled Egg Cupcakes
Buttery vanilla cupcakes topped with creamy speckled egg buttercream and chocolate Easter eggs.
Ingredients
Vanilla cupcakes
- 175 grams (1 and 1/4 cups) plain flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) caster sugar
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) buttermilk
Speckled buttercream
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 435 grams (3 and 1/2 cups) powdered or icing sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- Teal food gel paste
- 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon water
- Speckled Easter eggs, to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with patty cases.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and then add the sugar – give it a stir. Pop the butter into the microwave for a short burst, 10 seconds or so at a time, until it is JUST melted. Give it a stir with a fork to eliminate any lumps.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add the eggs, vanilla and butter and whisk together until smooth. Then add the wet mixture into the dry mixture, along with the buttermilk and gently fold until just combined. Try not to over mix so your cupcakes stay light and fluffy!
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared patty cases and pop into the oven. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until just cooked through. Set cakes out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Check them regularly as over baking may make the cupcakes dry.
- To make the teal frosting, add the butter to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add the vanilla. Gently sift in the icing sugar, one cup at a time. Add a tablespoon or two of milk to help loosen up the mixture. I added about 3 tablespoons of milk in total. Then add your food colouring until you reach your desired colour. Frost your cupcakes using a small spatula.
- To make the speckles, add the cocoa powder and water and stir together to form a paste. Dip a pastry brush in and gently squeeze out the excess, then flick the bristles over the cupcakes to get a few dots. Top each cupcake with a couple of speckled Easter eggs.
Beeta says
These are so pretty, Jess! Love the colors as well <3
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks Beeta!
Lynn @ Fresh April Flours says
These are so adorable! And I love that technique you found for making the tops speckled! I totally hear you about making cakes perfect for other people… When I owned my side business doing cakes for people, I put SO MUCH PRESSURE on myself, it was awful! It’s part of the reason I had to stop. Just baking for me and the blog is so much nicer now!
Jessica Holmes says
Yes! I can only imagine the pressure you would have felt. I don’t think I could have done it! 🙂
Danielle says
Speckled buttercream?! These cupcakes are absolutely adorable, that buttercream looks soooo delicious. These would be such a fun treat for Easter!
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks Danielle! 🙂
Kushi says
WOW! Pretty color and looks so delicious 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Thank you!
Ashley says
These are just so pretty! The malt ball eggs are always my favorite thing around Easter so these are right up my alley! (Though who am I kidding? I will take my chocolate any way!)
Jessica Holmes says
I’ll take my chocolate ANY way too! 😉
Anu says
These cupcakes look fantastic, Jess. Perfect for Easter.
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks Anu!
Amanda says
Who needs to send kids hunting for Easter eggs when they can just have one of these? I love the colors. These are just too cute!
Jessica Holmes says
Hahaha so true! Thanks Amanda!
Adina says
So pretty and such a good looking crumb. My kids would love these!
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks so much Adina! 🙂
Mary Ann says
Well, how cute are these Jess! Funny, but this past weekend I was doing some Easter shopping and came across those malted ball speckled eggs! I had to open the little carton even before I left the store to sample some! I only eat them at Easter and they were so good! Pinning these for Easter!
Jessica Holmes says
Oh yum! They sound amazing Mary Ann! Thanks so much for the pin! 🙂
Demeter says
Happy 60th Birthday to you dad, Jess! What a momentous birthday. Love that he has this amazing baker daughter and only asks for sponge cake. Hehe. Anyway, the speckled eggs on these cupcakes just make them absolutely perfect for Easter. Can’t wait to see what else you have in store. 🙂 Pinning!
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks so much Demeter! We had a lovely time celebrating! Hahaha, that’s right, nothing extravagant, just a simple (but hard) sponge cake! Thanks so much for the pin!
Mara says
What a fun idea! I love the little speckles on the frosting. I’m not even usually a fan of vanilla cake, but these cupcakes look SO soft and fluffy!
Jessica Holmes says
Thank you! They were light and fluffy and that frosting was delicious, speckles and all!
Lucy says
What a great idea, they look delicious too. 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Thank you Lucy!
Thalia says
Speckled eggs are one of my favourite easter candies.. so I would LOVE one of these cupcakes!
Jessica Holmes says
Mine too! You would definitely love these then! 😉
Hannah says
The speckling is such a cool detail on these cupcakes! Woo, Easter baking 🙂
jessieholmes99@gmail.com says
Thanks Hannah! Love this time of year! 🙂
Amy says
What beautiful Easter cupcakes Jess! Sometimes a cake-filled week is just what you need, and I know what you mean about cake making anxiety! I love the speckled tops of these cupcakes, and I know that I’ll be using this as inspiration for our family Easter celebrations!
Jessica Holmes says
Amen to that Amy! Cake-filled weeks certainly are fun. Bring on the Easter baking! 🙂