I love baking it’s one of the joys in life for me to be honest, it is my happy place being able to bake for others is my type of self wellness at times. This year I decided to make two different types of cupcakes for Easter. A vanilla cupcake with brownie icing and a chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream icing, best of both worlds in my option. I think the trick for me is to always have bright and fun cupcake wrappers. With the Easter cupcakes, I used multiple colors just to make everything look festive and bright.
I am the type who does not like to feel rushed when I am baking so I made the cupcakes on Friday night, I kept them in an airtight sealed container to make sure they stayed fresh. Which they will if you make sure to put them in the container as soon as they have cooled enough. Saturday I then made both types of icing, I worked on one type at a time to keep things as fresh as possible, once I had all of the Vanilla buttercreams on their appointment cupcakes I started to have some fun with decorating. Some I left with just the icing which looked so pretty I have to say, others I took a shredded coconut and a drop or two of green food dye and mixed together to make it looks like grass. Once I added my “grass” I took a couple of jell beans and placed them in the middle to give a cute little look. For some of the cupcakes, I placed a bunny peep in the middle of and for those I added a little extra icing to make sure the peep stayed in place on the cupcake. Then a couple got just a few jelly beans on their own, I always try to use different colors to give an extra pop. There are so many fun ways to make a cute and festive cupcake display for the holidays.
Below are my recipes for the vanilla and chocolate cupcake batter as well as the brownie frosting and the vanilla buttercream icing.
Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, have it at room temperature
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup very hot water
Instructions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl and whisk together.
Combine the egg, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in another bowl or I prefer to use a Kitchen Aid and whisk together.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until everything is fully combined.
Add the hot water to the batter and mix again, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary, until combined. The batter should be thin by this point.
Fill cupcake liners half full, then bake for 18-21 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs when used to test a cupcake.
Cool completely before frosting.
Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
• 1/2 cup Melted Unsalted Butter
• 1 cup Granulated sugar
• 1 Egg Large
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
Instructions
In a bowl mix the flour and baking powder. Then place that to the side.
In another mixing bowl or your kitchen Aid, mix the melted butter and sugar until everything is combined. Make sure the sugar is completely combined with no clumps or when you get to the bottom of your batter you will be scooping a ton of sugar.
I then will add in the Vanilla extract next let that combine with everything for a little.
Once the batter looks good then I add in the egg, sour cream, milk, and mix until smooth.
Finally, dumpy the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix until just combined.
Pour batter in cupcake liners, I tend to use a tool to allow for a cleaner tranfer.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes or always double check by inserting a toothpick in the center to see if it comes out clean. I tend to wait until the edge is golden. Allow the cupcakes to cool down and then, frost each of them.
Brownie Frosting:
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2- 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup whole milk
Make sure the butter is at room temperature you should let it sit out for a couple of hours before you start the process. First, add the butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy to your Kitchen aid or bowl. Once those items have combined well then beat in cocoa and vanilla. Finally, add enough milk until the frosting achieves spreading consistency. It should be a light brown color; I normally use the whisking attachment for the Kitchen Aid to make this frosting.
Vanilla buttercream frosting:
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tsp Vanilla extract
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Place the softened butter and the powdered sugar into the bowl with your Kitchen Aid. Whip until everything is fluffy and combined completely.
Then add in the vanilla and heavy whipping cream. Let everything mix together until the frosting looks nice and light and fluffy.
