Spring Bird’s Nest Cupcakes

from the Big Book of Cupcakes

Poppyseed Cupcakes

1 cup butter, softened

21⁄3 cups sugar

5 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1⁄4 tsp. baking soda

1⁄4 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Paper baking cups

Vegetable cooking spray

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
3. Combine fl our, baking soda, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla and poppy seeds.
4. Place paper baking cups in 2 (12-cup) muffin pans, and coat with cooking spray; spoon batter into cups, filling two-thirds full.
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Vanilla Frosting
(you’ll need to make two batches to fill and frost the cupcakes)

1/2 cup butter, softened
3 to 4 tbsp. whipping cream
 1 tsp. clear vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
Teal food coloring gel (or any color you like, really)

Method:
1. Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed 2 minutes or until creamy.
3. Tint frosting using food coloring. Makes 3 cups.

Chocolate Birds’ Nests
(adapted slightly – original recipe called for almond melting wafers rather than chocolate)

4 (1-oz.) squares semisweet or milk chocolate, melted
1 (5-oz.) can crispy rice noodles
Jelly beans (about 1 cup)

Method:
1. In a medium bowl, combine melted chocolate and rice noodles until noodles are completely coated.
2. Spoon 2 to 3 Tbsp. chocolate mixture into each cup of a lightly greased miniature muffin pan. Make an indentation in center of each to form a bird’s nest. Chill 10 minutes or until chocolate is set. Pop nests from muffin pan, and place 2 to 3 jelly beans in each nest.

Makes 24 nests.

Finishing Touches

1. Fill each cupcake with tinted frosting. To fill cupcakes, insert the end of a wooden spoon or dowel into the center of the cupcake to make a hole.

2. Fill a zip-top plastic freezer bag with filling or frosting. Use scissors or kitchen shears to snip about 1/4 inch from one corner of bag; insert bag into the hole in the cupcake.

3. Squeeze gently until filling comes to the top of each cupcake. Note: If you want to fill and frost 1 recipe of cupcakes with the same frosting, you will need about 6 cups of frosting total.

4. Frost each cupcake with tinted frosting. How-To Frost: Place a heaping spoonful of frosting in center of cupcake. With an offset spatula, push frosting to edges while turning cupcake. Rotate cupcake, and lift the frosting with the spatula to create peaks.

5. Top each cupcake with 1 bird’s nest and, if desired, 1 candy pansy.

Eggs in Brownie Nests

1 batch classic brownies
1 small bag Cadbury Mini-Eggs or candy Robins Eggs

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Grease the inside of mini-muffin cups thoroughly and fill them half full with brownie batter. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the tops of the brownies are set and cake tester comes out clean.
3. Allow the brownies to cool for ten minutes., then remove them from the muffin cups and allow them to cool completely. As they cool the centers will deflate slightly. Once they have done so, drop in the eggs and serve!

Aren't they adorable?!? From Family Kitchen.