Easter Basket Cupcakes

You may have noticed I haven't posted for quite some time. The reason amongst others is that I have been baking up a storm for various events. This time of year is absolutely crazy for my family and I every year (particularly me, I say yes too often) ....bring on April.

Yesterday I was busy in my kitchen baking and decorating for the P&Cs Easter Baking Fundraiser.
I am so glad that all my baking commitments are over for the time being because I was having a terrible baking day yesterday. The join on the seal of my oven had failed so part of the seal was hanging out the bottom of my oven door and my poor little cupcakes were coming out all wonky, despite my vigilant tray turning. Of all the batches I did only 4 cupcakes came out perfect, it just wasn't my day.
But I soldiered on and made the best of what I had because after all it was to raise money for my girls school, and I figured that the kids wouldn't care whether they were perfect or not.
To my surprise however once decorated they looked fine, not what I imagined but that's the perfectionist coming out in me.

Here is the end result... but I really do think that its the presentation on my gorgeous, all the way from the States, cost me an arm and a leg in shipping charges, Pottery Barn Bunny cake plates.

Ingredients 

Vanilla Buttercake

 90g butter, softened
 1 tsp vanilla extract
 2 eggs
 1/2 cup caster sugar
 1 cup SR flour
 2 tbs milk

Buttercream frosting

 125g butter, softened
 2 cups pure icing sugar
 3 tbs milk
 1/4 tsp peppermint extract, or to taste
 green food colouring 

Decorations

 1/2 cup shredded coconut
 green food colouring
 Cadbury mini candy covered eggs
 Pipe cleaners to match your paper cupcake cases, cut in half then twisted around each other and bent      into a 'U' shape
 Pastel thin ribbon

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C/ 160*C fan-forced. Line a standard tray with your paper cases.

2. Beat butter, extract, eggs, sugar, flour and milk with an electric mixer until combined. Increase mixer speed until cake mixture is changed to a paler colour.

3. Divide the mixture amongst the cases , smoothing the surface.

4. Bake your cakes for 20mins. Time will vary depending on your oven. turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Now its time to make your icing

5. Beat butter with an electric mixer until, light and fluffy, beat in sifted icing sugar and milk in batches.

Remove approximately 1/2 cup of the frosting and place in a small bowl, to this add your peppermint extract, and green food colouring and mix until you have achieved your desired colour. Place the rest of your frosting into your piping bag.

6. In a small bowl, using your fingertips rub the green food colouring into the Shredded Coconut until you are satisfied with the colour dispersion.

Woohoo time to decorate

7. Using a serrated knife cut out a little hole from the top of each cake.

8. Fill the holes with your green peppermint frosting.

9. Next you are going to make the top edge of your Easter basket by piping around the outside of your peppermint filling.

10. Time to add the faux grass clippings, sprinkle the coloured shredded coconut on the inside edge of your piping, you need to leave some peppermint icing visible so that the candy eggs have something to adhere to.

11. Place 3 candy eggs into the centre of each cupcake.

12. Now we can add the finishing pieces, press each side of your 'U' shaped pipe cleaner handles into opposite sides of the cupcake and tie a ribbon to the top of your basket handle.

Aww so sweet

These would look gorgeous in some beautiful pastel cupcake wrappers with corresponding coloured pipe cleaners and icing if you were making them for a special occasion. I saw some gorgeous cut out filigree wraps that would make beautiful baskets, but for this particular event plain white paper cases were just fine.

Cute and easy (and they sold out in a flash I'm happy to report)

Happy Easter 

Love Jade xx

Just a couple more pics of those adorable Bunny Plates...

Sorry I can't help myself, I love my bunnies. Hurry up Pottery Barn Australia, postage is killing me. Hopefully the next one will be up here in QLD, highly unlikely... but I'm still keeping my fingers... and toes crossed.