Adorable Easter Carrot Cupcakes (with Chocolate Nests) -

Adorable Easter Carrot Cupcakes (with Chocolate Nests)

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Canadian, European

Keyword: carrot, chocolate chips, cream cheese frosting, cupcakes, easter, eggs, nest

Prep Time: 1 15

Cook Time: 25

Refrigeration Tme: 1

Total Time: 2 40

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 329kcal

A fun, family-friendly spring dessert! Learn how to make incredibly soft Easter Carrot Cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting and easy DIY chocolate bird nests.

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Equipment

Ingredients

For the carrot cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour scoop & scrape (see notes)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup brown sugar packed
2 large eggs room temperature
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup fresh or canned pineapple crushed or processed finely
1 cup carrots (about 2 large carrots) trimmed, peeled & finely grated
1 cup walnuts toasted & roughly chopped

For the cream cheese frosting

1 block cream cheese (31% M.F.) softened to room temperature
¼ cup unsalted butter softened room temperature
¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups icing sugar

For the decoration

1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup chocolate eggs in a candy shell (about 53 pieces)

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Instructions

Prep the Oven and Dry Ingredients: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Move your oven rack to the middle shelf and line your muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Mix the Wet Batter: In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk the brown sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs until smooth and most of the sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the crushed pineapple and grated carrots.
Combine and Bake: Add half of the flour mix into the batter and whisk until just combined. Add the remaining flour and mix until just combined. Fold the toasted walnuts in with a spatula. Do not overmix! Use a ¼ measuring cup to scoop batter into each liner (fill only ⅔ full to leave room to rise). Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Bake in batches if needed). Cool completely on a wire rack.
Melt and Pipe the Chocolate Nests: Melt the milk chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl in the microwave using 30-second intervals, stirring until completely smooth. Pour the melted chocolate into a piping bag (or zip-top bag) and snip the tip to create a tiny 0.25 cm opening. Line a baking tray with wax paper. Pipe the chocolate directly into the inside bowl of the spoons in overlapping patterns (criss-cross, vertical, horizontal). Ensure the nest is at least 0.5 cm thick so it doesn't break. Save your leftover melted chocolate!
Chill and Release the Nests: Chill the spoons in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour to harden. Wearing food-safe gloves, use a lighter to heat the back (underside) of the spoon with a back-and-forth motion for 10 seconds. Use your thumb to gently slide the chocolate nest forward and out of the spoon's bowl. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting: Place the room-temperature cream cheese and unsalted butter into the bowl of your mixer (or use a hand whisk). Mix until well combined and smooth. Add the salt, vanilla extract, and icing sugar. Mix until the frosting has a completely smooth texture. Store the frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 to 24 hours to firm up.
Frost and Decorate: When ready to decorate, give the frosting a good stir and transfer it to a piping bag fitted with your favourite tip (like a #9 swirl tip). Start on the outside edge of the cupcake and pipe the frosting inward in a single, circular layer, swirling the center 2 or 3 times to create height. Place a chocolate nest directly onto the center frosting peak and lightly press it down. Pipe a tiny dot of leftover melted chocolate onto the bottom of a candy egg and "glue" it into the nest. Alternate between placing 2 and 3 eggs per nest, positioning some upright and some sideways for a realistic look!

Video

Notes

Fresh vs. Canned Pineapple: The juice and pulp from the pineapple replace the need for heavy amounts of oil. For the absolute best flavor, I highly recommend using fresh pineapple and grating it directly on a large cheese grater! If you use canned, make sure to drain it very well before crushing it.

How many cupcakes does this recipe yield?

This depends entirely on the size of your cupcake liners! I use fluted liners with a 1.25-inch height and a 3-inch diameter, which yields exactly 21 cupcakes. If your liners are taller (2 inches or more), you will end up with a slightly smaller batch.

I don't like pineapple. Can I skip it?

You absolutely can! If you omit the crushed pineapple, you will need to replace the lost moisture. Simply increase the vegetable oil in the recipe from ¼ cup to ½ cup.

How should I store decorated cupcakes?

Store leftover carrot cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. If you want to freeze them, wrap them tightly (without the chocolate nests) and freeze for up to 2 months!

Nutrition