Now that Easter is just a few days away and our menu for Easter dinner is complete, I’m already making plans and to-do lists for next Easter.  There are just so many cute ideas out there that I can’t possibly squeeze them all into one year.  And, although this blog allows me the excuse to experiment and bake lots of goodies all of the time, I’m always faced with the difficult decision of crossing off recipes, crafts and plans and saving them for next time.

I’m really happy that these made the cut this year.

Malted milk powder can be a little tough to find in some grocery stores, but I’ve just recently started finding it in mine. Previously, I ordered it online, along with my vanilla beans and cocoa powder. If you have a good baking shop or kitchen supply store nearby, you should be able to find it there as well.

These cupcakes bake up into lovely domes which are perfect for filling and frosting. I use the wide end of my 2-inch piping tips to core out the middle of the cupcake for filling before frosting and garnishing, and it works like a charm.

Buttercream Ingredients:
2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
2/3 cup malted milk powder
5 cups confectioners sugar
4 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Malted Milk Filling:
2 Tablespoons malted milk powder
1/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons whipping cream, divided
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup marshmallow cream

Toasted Coconut Garnish:
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
4 Tablespoons sugar

Cupcake Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare cupcake tins with paper liners and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. In another small bowl, combine milk and malted milk powder until the powder is dissolved.
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat flour mixture, milk mixture and oil until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add sour cream and vanilla, and beat just until combined.
Fill paper liners 1/2 to 2/3 full and bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick or cake-tester comes out clean. As soon as you can, remove them from the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare frosting, garnish and filling.

Filling directions: In the bowl of your stand mixer using the whisk attachment, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until combined and set aside. In another bowl, beat together marshmallow cream, 2 Tablespoons of whipping cream and malted milk powder. Fold the whipped cream mixture into the marshmallow mixture using a spatula, taking care not to deflate the whipped cream. Set aside.
Sugared Coconut directions: In a large non-stick skillet, toast the coconut over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the coconut is golden brown. Remove from heat and immediately sprinkle with sugar and mix to combine. Set aside.

Buttercream directions: In the bowl of a stand mixer whip butter with the paddle attachment for 4-5 minutes or until pale and fluffy. Add the sugar, malted milk powder, heavy cream and vanilla and whip for another 4-5 minutes until very light. Spoon into a piping bag and set aside.

Hollow out a small portion of the cupcake using the cone method or the end of a piping tip. Discard removed portion of cupcake. Fill each cupcake with approximately 1 Tablespoon of filling. Top with a swirl of buttercream, and immediately garnish with coconut before buttercream hardens. Press a robin’s egg candy into each “nest.”
Refrigerate cupcakes in an airtight container until 30 minutes prior to serving.

Enjoy!

Recipe inspiration: That Winsome Girl