Easter Cupcake Recipe – Devils Food Cake with Cadburys Creme Egg Mini

Well…I have been busy baking this weekend and have just finished these delightful looking creme egg cupcakes after a request for them last week. But it took me longer than expected and are not what I had intended to make due to a few disasters in the kitchen.
I made the devils food cake mix with no problem. I made them nice and early while my husband was out looking at cars (I was invited, but getting up at 7am on a Sunday morning to look at shiny super cars in this cold weather is not my idea of fun…no matter how impressive the cars are!) They filled the kitchen with a lovely chocolatey aroma and they came out of the oven just as Kieron got home.

So I left these to cool down and went to make the creme egg fondant…but I didn’t have enough golden syrup. Kieron happily offered to pop to the local shop for me, but unfortunately they only had maple syrup flavoured golden syrup (why wouldn’t you just buy maple syrup?!). I tried to make it using this thinking ‘oh well, I’m sure it won’t matter’…but it did matter. It tasted awful with a really horrible tang to it. There was no way I was going to put this on my cakes especially when my stepdad had tasted the cake and said how good it was…praise for my baking is hard to get from him as my mums baking is sooo good!

Anyway, I decided to leave all this and sat in the living room with the fire on and a cup of coffee, watching my stepdad plant trees in my garden. Then I realised it was too late to go to a different shop so looked for another recipe that didn’t include golden syrup. I found one. Great! They can be saved…nope. I only have 1 egg left and I need 3 egg whites for this meringue frosting.

So in reality, these are not what I had wanted to make. They are not really what I would call a creme egg cupcake, more a delicious chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting and half a mini cadburys creme egg on top. Still, they look and taste good so I suppose it doesn’t really matter!

Recipe for the cakes taken from Cupcakes Take the Cake.

[callout title=Ingredients for the chocolate cupcakes]

• 50g best-quality cocoa powder – sifted
• 100g dark muscovado sugar
• 250ml boiling water
• 125g soft unsalted butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 225g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large free-range eggs

[/callout]

Method:

• Preheat the oven to to Gas Mark 4 / 160°C (fan) / 180°C
• Sift the cocoa into a large bowl and mix in the dark muscovado sugar.
• Pour in the boiling water and mix. Set to one side to cool slightly
• Cream the butter and caster sugar together in a separate bowl, well until pale and fluffy
• Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together in another bowl and set aside for a moment.
• Dribble the vanilla extract into the creamed butter and, then crack in one egg, quickly followed by a spoonful of the flour mixture (this stops it from curdling), then the second egg.
• Keep mixing after each addition.
• Incorporate the rest of the flour mixture little by little
• mix and fold in the cocoa mixture.
• Divide into lined cupcake tins – cook for 20-25 mins

[callout title=Ingredients for the Frosting:]

• 250g icing sugar
• 80g unsalted butter – at room temperature
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 couple of drops of vanilla extract

[/callout]

Method:

• Beat the icing sugar and butter on a medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together
• Turn the mixer to a slow speed
• Combine the milk and flavouring in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture a little at a time
• Once all the milk has been incorporated turn the mixer up to a high speed
• Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy – this will take at least 5 mins

I made 2 batches of frosting. One I left natural and to the other I added yellow food colouring gel. I then spooned it into a large piping bag and tried to keep them to each side. Using a large round nozzle I  piped them onto the cupcakes which gave a lovely two-toned effect. And all finished off with half a mini creme egg.

I’m really happy with how these look and taste, just not sure I can really call them a creme egg cupcake. If you want a true creme egg recipe follow this one and make sure you have enough golden syrup before you start!