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These Robin’s Nest Cupcakes are made with moist, rich chocolate cupcakes, topped with a fluffy chocolate frosting, brown jimmies and chocolate robins’ eggs. They are an easy, festive spring and Easter treat!

I’m so excited to share the adorable and easy, springy, Easter cupcakes with you. It’s been in the 50’s this entire week and it feels like spring around my neck of the woods. I couldn’t help making a spring inspired treat….these adorable Robin’s Nest Cupcakes.

The eggs on these cupcakes are Cadbury Mini-Eggs, and they were the inspiration for these robin’s egg Easter cupcakes. The candy eggs are a pretty pastel color with little splatters of contrasting color – just like real robins’ eggs. And it helps that they are my favorite Easter candy.

double chocolate robin's nest cupcakes on a wood platter

About these Robin’s Nest Cupcakes:

Flavor: Chocolate + Chocolate! Everything about this cupcake is chocolate flavored. Change the cupcake flavor to vanilla or butter cake if you’d like.
Texture: The cupcakes are tender and moist and the buttercream is smooth and silky.
Method: These bake easily in a muffin pan. Let them cool before frosting them, then call the kids in to help decorate. It’s a fun activity the Saturday before Easter.

Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes

This recipe uses a from-scratch chocolate cake recipe that we know and love. It’s easy and delicious and nearly fool proof.

Here are a couple of tips:

I like to use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to make sure everything gets mixed properly. But this recipe is so easy you can use a whisk and rubber spatula if that’s what you have.
Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then combine them in one bowl. Yes this uses an extra bowl but it will give you the best results.
Only fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full with cupcake batter so that the cupcakes don’t overflow.
Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

dry ingredients over wet ingredients in a glass bowl with a whisk

12 baked chocolate cupcakes in a muffin pan

quick tip

To make this step a little faster, use your favorite box cake mix.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

This chocolate frosting melts in your mouth thanks to the addition of not only cocoa powder, but also melted chocolate.

Tips for the frosting:

Sifting the sugar and cocoa powder together ensures there are no little clumps in your frosting.
Use a stand mixer to cream the butter until it is almost white. This is a great way to start making any buttercream frosting.
Drizzle the cooled melted chocolate into frosting at the end. You want the chocolate still melted, but not so warm that it melts the butter (which would give the buttercream a weird texture you don’t want.)

How to Make Robin’s Nest Eggs

I wanted to make sure the nest portion of the cupcakes looked as much like birds’ nests as possible while still being easy to make. This is how I did it.

Fit a large decorating tip into a frosting bag. I used Wilton 1M.
Fill the frosting bag with the chocolate buttercream.
Pipe the frosting out onto the cupcake in a spiral, building up the sides of the cupcake to make a nest. It looks simple and pretty like this, right?!

a swirl of chocolate frosting piped on a chocolate cupcake

Add the brown jimmies to give the nests a “twiggy” feel. I thought the jimmies did the trick perfectly, while adding a little more texture cupcakes. Alternatives to this is toasted coconut flakes or chow mein noodles, but I wanted all chocolate. 😋
Then place the best Easter candies that ever existed on top to mimic robin eggs. Cadbury mini eggs. That creamy chocolate flavor is unbeatable.

chocolate cupcakes on a wire rack, one frosted with sprinkles and eggs

Storage Instructions

Room temperature: Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 24 hours.
Refrigerator: Store this cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before eating.
Freezer: Freeze the cake whole or sliced in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before eating.

Just look at that bite. It doesn’t get much better than that! ⬇️

a chocolate easter cupcake with a bite taken out

Robin’s Nest Cupcakes

5 from 3 votes

These Robins' Nest Cupcakes are made with moist, rich chocolate cupcakes, fluffy chocolate frosting, brown jimmies and chocolate robins' eggs. They are an easy, festive spring and Easter treat!

Servings 24 servings

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 16

Total Time 46

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour 260 grams
1 cup cocoa powder 118 grams
2 teaspoons baking soda 12 grams
1 teaspoon salt 6 grams
2 cups granulated sugar 400 grams
1 cup vegetable oil (I used coconut oil, melted and cooled)
4 large eggs
½ cup strong coffee warm, 4 ounces
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract I used vanilla bean paste

For the Chocolate Frosting:

4 cups confectioners’ sugar 520 grams
1/2 cup cocoa powder 59 grams
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate
2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature, 16 ounces
2 tablepoons whole milk or heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To Assemble the Cupcakes:

Chocolate jimmies
Mini-Chocolate Eggs

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 muffin pans with paper wrappers.
In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate large bowl, whisk the oil, sugar, oil, eggs, coffee, milk and vanilla.
Slowly mix in the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
Fill each cup of the muffin tin about 2/3 full.
Bake for 14 to 16 minutes. The center of the cupcakes should spring back when you touch them.
Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then remove them from the pan and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the Frosting:

Sift the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave (it will only take about 1 minute, but melt in 20 second increments) and set aside to cool slightly.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until fluffy and almost white in appearance.
Add the sugar/cocoa mixture. Mix until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Add the milk and vanilla, mix until just combined.
Add the cooled, melted chocolate. Mix until completely combined.

To Assemble the Cupcakes:

Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M tip with the chocolate frosting.
Pipe the frosting, building up the frosting on the sides to create a nest.
Sprinkle with jimmies right after frosting before the frosting sets.
Place chocolate eggs inside nest.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours, then refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Notes

Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.

The calories shown are based on the recipe making 24 cupcakes, with 1 serving being 1 frosted cupcake. Use less frosting to lower the calories. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition

Author Julie Clark

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 442

Keyword chcoolate cupcakes, easter dessert

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