Name: Chocolate & Caramel Easter Nest Cupcakes
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 175 g Butter or baking spread (softened); 175 g Caster sugar; 3 Eggs (large); 1 tbsp Milk; 150 g Self raising flour; 25 g Cocoa powder; 1/8 tsp Baking powder; 150 g Butter (softened); 300 g Icing sugar; 1 tbsp Cocoa powder; 1 tsp Vanilla extract; 2-3 tbsp Milk; 75 g Galaxy chocolate (melted); 160 g Caramel sauce (good quality shop bought or homemade); 2 x 80 g packs of Golden Enchanted Eggs ((you need 3 eggs per cupcake))

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These Chocolate & Caramel Easter Nest Cupcakes are a luxury option to celebrate Easter! A lot of Easter desserts are usually cute and pretty, with pastel colours - which don't get me wrong I absolutely love! But these cupcakes are an indulgent option for a more grown up feel. They feature a moist chocolate sponge with a hidden caramel centre, on top is a silky buttercream infused with Galaxy chocolate and rose gold Galaxy Enchanted Eggs.

Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
I used a baking spread for the cupcakes and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
For the filling, my favourite caramel sauce to use is my Homemade Caramel Sauce. But you can also use a shop bought sauce.
I've decorated the cupcakes with Galaxy Enchanted Eggs - they are very widely available in the UK but you can use any chocolate eggs and spray them with an edible metallic spray instead if you can't find them.
If you don't want to use Galaxy chocolate for the buttercream you can use another type of chocolate.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Chocolate & Caramel Easter Nest Cupcakes

To make the chocolate sponge, mix together butter and caster sugar. Add eggs and milk, and mix them in.

Then mix in self raising flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Divide the cupcakes into cases.

Bake them for 20-25 minutes. When the are cool, use a cupcake corer or a knife to remove a section from the middle.

Fill each hole with some caramel sauce. Then make the buttercream by mixing together softened butter, icing sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Then add melted Galaxy chocolate and mix until smooth.

What caramel sauce is best to use?

My favourite caramel sauce to use is my Homemade Caramel Sauce, it's rich, smooth and absolutely divine! You can also easily add salt to it to make it into a salted caramel sauce. If you don't want to make your own, it's quite easy nowadays to find a good quality ready made caramel (or salted caramel) sauce in the shops or online. I have used Tesco's Finest, Bonn Maman and Carnation Caramel in the past with great results.

How long do the cupcakes last for and can they be frozen?

The cupcakes will last for 2-3 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can freeze both the cupcakes and the buttercream. To freeze them separately, wrap the unfilled cupcakes well in cling film or put them in an airtight container. The buttercream can be frozen in a sealed tub. To freeze them decorated, freeze the cupcakes on a plate until frozen solid, then carefully wrap in cling film. Remove the clingfilm when you take the cupcakes out of the freezer to defrost, as if they defrost with it still on it could damage the buttercream.

Can you make the cupcakes with plain/all purpose flour?

Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add 1 + ½ teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.

Can the cupcakes be made gluten or dairy free?

Yes! For gluten free you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 1 + ½ teaspoons baking powder. You may also like to add ¼ tsp Xanthan Gum for better texture. For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread and dairy free milk for the cupcakes and the buttercream. You will also need to use a dairy free caramel sauce for the filling, a dairy free chocolate for the buttercream and decorate them with dairy free chocolate eggs.

Do you need an electric mixer to make this recipe?

While you can absolutely make this recipe with a wooden spoon and some elbow grease, I do recommend using an electric mixer for the best results. The cupcakes will be lighter and fluffier when made with an electric mixer. The buttercream will also be smoother. You don't have to use an expensive stand mixer either, you can get electric hand whisks for as little as £10!

More tips for making the Chocolate & Caramel Easter Nest Cupcakes:

If you don't want to use Galaxy chocolate for the buttercream, you can use another milk or dark chocolate.
If you can't find the Galaxy Enchanted Eggs, you can use Galaxy Golden Eggs, or you can use an edible metallic paint or glitter spray to paint some other small chocolate eggs.
I used a Jem 1E piping nozzle to pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes.

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

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