This is a great time of year in the world of sweets. Store shelves are lined with candies that only make it out for spring and Easter. We all have a favorite - or two or three! - like jelly beans, Peeps, Whopper's robin eggs, Reese's peanut butter eggs, chocolate bunnies, and marshmallow eggs.
Some of these candies take me back to my childhood and the thrilling hunt for my hidden Easter basket. My mom knew how to do it right; a basket stuffed with Peeps for my brother and a basket stuffed with Cadbury creme eggs for me.
There is something strangely alluring and delicious about the mysterious center of Cadbury creme eggs. I loved the sweet gooey center as a child and still like to indulge in one or two every Easter. The perfect inspiration for an Easter cupcake!
With Easter right around the corner, I decided to see where the inspiration would take me. It all came together as a dense chocolate cupcake, filled with cream inspired by Cadbury, and a ganache frosting.
When I first started developing this recipe, I had hoped to find a way to bake a real Cadbury creme egg into the cupcake. And I really gave it my best effort, using both mini and full-size eggs and inserting them into the cupcakes at various points while the cupcakes baked in the oven. All this got me was one of two things. Put in too early in the baking process and all the cream melted out and left me with a hollow egg; too late and the egg sat on top of the cupcake instead of baking into the center. I even tried melting down Cadbury eggs and then piping them into the cupcake. For the record, they became too hard once cooled.
But after a few false starts, I found a delicious way to combine a love of cupcakes with a love of Cadbury creme eggs. This cupcake recipe is very dense, rather than being light and fluffy; the cake is a great contrast to the creamy center and acts as a nice solid "shell" for the soft insides. Since the center is so sweet, I topped the cupcakes with a ganache frosting. Yum!
Makes approximately 16 cupcakes
for the cupcakes
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
11 fluid ounces chocolate syrup
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
for the Cadbury creme filling1/4 cup corn syrup
1/8 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/16 teaspoon orange extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup powdered sugar
for the ganache frosting
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
to make the cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 325°F and line 16 cupcake cups with liners.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and salt until mixture is light and fluffy.
3. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, until just combined.
4. Mix in the chocolate syrup and vanilla.
5. Slowly add in the flour, mixing until just combined.
6. Fill the cupcake liners, filling about 3/4 of the way full. These cupcakes do not have much rise.
7. Bake for about 25 minutes. Take care not to overbake and remove from oven as soon as a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
to make the creme filling
1. In a mixing bowl, combine the corn syrup, butter, vanilla extract, orange extract, and salt.
2. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
3. Slowly add powdered sugar, mixing between additions until combined and smooth. Monitor consistency, adding less sugar if mixture starts to toughen.
to fill the cupcakes
1. Using an apple corer or 1-inch cookie cutter, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. Cut approximately 2/3 of the way down. Twisting the apple corer before removing it from the cupcake helped to extract the centers. You could also try a small knife or spoon.
2. Place creme in piping bag or plastic bag and cut a wide tip.
3. Pipe the cream into the holes, filling each cupcake to the top.
to make the frosting
1. Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl.
2. Place heavy cream in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
3. Pour hot cream over the chocolate chips and allow to sit for one minute.
4. Stir until smooth and creamy. If ganache is too thick, add more hot cream in small increments. If too thin, allow ganache to rest at room temperature for 10-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ganache will thicken as it stands.
5. Frost cupcakes as desired.
Just a few things to note... For the cupcakes, this recipe calls for 11 fluid ounces of chocolate syrup. You'll want to buy a container of syrup that weighs 16 ounces, which is the equivalent to 11 fluid ounces of syrup. The difference between weight ounces and fluid ounces can be confusing, so you can read up on it here. Also, the creme stiffens as it rests, so I do not recommend making it in advance and letting it sit. And the amount of creme you will need depends on how large a hole you make in the center (but it's really easy to whip up more if you run out). Lastly, keep in mind that if the ganache frosting sounds too dark for your taste, you could use 100% milk chocolate or, really, could use any frosting recipe you love!
Now I've got a craving for another cupcake! I'm off to enjoy one with a big glass of milk. Before you go, what's your favorite Easter candy??
