Easter Cupcakes

I decided that I definitely needed to make some sort of cupcakes this year for Easter and despite having made my Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream and posting about them before, I couldn't resist baking them again :) I thought they'd be a good flavour for Spring time and that the yellow coloured butter icing would look well with Mini Eggs for decoration. I also thought about baking Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla flavoured buttercream so as I go along I'll show you how to make the two flavours :)

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE MIX

225g Butter (Softened)

225g Caster Sugar

225g Self Raising Flour (sieved)

4 Eggs

Rind of 2 Lemons OR 1 tbsp of Vanilla Essence

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4

2) Cream the softened butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl

3) When the mixture is light and fluffy, add in the eggs one at a time and continue to mix

4) If you're making the Vanilla Cupcakes, add your spoon of vanilla essence in now

5) Spoon the flour into the mixing bowl - one spoon at a time, until all the flour is in

6) If you're making the Lemon version, add in your lemon rind and continue to mix

7) Once the mixture is light and fluffy stop mixing and leave it to sit while you line a muffin tray with bun cases

8) Put one to two spoonfuls of the mixture into each bun case and bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes until they are golden brown

9) Leave the buns to cool on a wire tray while you make your buttercream frosting

For the Buttercream...

YOU WILL NEED....

775g Icing Sugar

250g Butter (softened)

1 tbsp Lemon Juice OR Vanilla Essence

1) Cream the butter and the sugar together in your mixing bowl again 

2) When the mixture is light and fluffy add in either the lemon juice or vanilla essence and continue to mix

To assemble the Cupcakes...

Either using a piping bag or simply a spoon, ice the cupcakes and stick as many Mini Eggs on top to decorate.

I used this piping nozzle to ice my Easter Cupcakes

Super Easy Easter Nests

These Easter Nests are perfect if you're looking for something quick and easy to make with your kids during the Easter holidays.. I remember making these as a kid and loving every minute of it :) This year, as I don't have any kids of my own (ha), I made them with my little cousin and she had a ball... 

You'll only need these 4 Simple Ingredients..

300g Milk Chocolate
50g Butter
4-5 Shredded Wheat biscuits
Mini Eggs (for decoration)

*If you're a fan of coconut, replace some of the shredded wheat with some desiccated 

coconut for extra flavour :) *

So here goes....

1) Place the chocolate and the butter in a bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir until melted
2) Break your shredded Wheat biscuits into pieces and put them in with your melted mixture and stir until they're all covered in chocolate
3) Next, line a muffin or cupcake tray with bun cases of your choice and spoon 1-2 spoonfuls of the mixture into each case
4) Using your fingers, push all of the mixture to the sides of each case, leaving a hole in the centre like a birds nest
5) Next place as many mini eggs as you like into each nest and refrigerate the tray for at least 20 minutes before eating

Hope you have as much fun making these as I did :)