Easter Cupcakes

A coworker ordered 72 cupcakes to divide between her 4 school aged children's Easter class parties at school. I found inspiration for designs online and by looking at all the Easter merchandise we have currently around the store. We chose 5 designs: a "grass" (tip 233) and "dirt" (crushed Oreos) covered cupcake with jelly bean "eggs", bunny face, chick hatching, dyed eggs, and flowers. I sketched 3 varieties of flowers and 2 varieties of dyed eggs. Due to the time that it took to make them, I ended up only using bunny faces, grass/eggs and the flowers.

Vanilla Cake
1 cup butter, softened
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2 tsp clear vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and yolks one at a time. Add vanilla. Alternatively beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture until just combined. Use ice cream scoop to divide batter into cupcake tins with liners. Baked at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Take this recipe by 3 for 72 cupcakes total.

Buttercream Frosting
12 cups powdered sugar
8 sticks (4 cups) room temperature butter
6 tsp clear vanilla extract
4 tbsp heavy whipping cream
food coloring as needed

Mix together butter and sugar in stand mixer for 3 minutes on medium. Add vanilla and cream and beat for another minute. Divide and color. 

3 boxes of 24 each makes 72 Easter cupcakes. 

Over the Hill

Cake for a birthday.

Vanilla Cake (doubled)
2 cups butter (4 sticks), room temp
3 cups sugar
5 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
4 large eggs
6 egg yolks
4 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups low-fat buttermilk

Mix together flour, baking soda, salt in a bowl. In electric mixer bowl, beat together butter and sugar. With mixer on low, add eggs and yolks one at a time. Add vanilla. Alternate flour mixture and buttermilk. Prep 11x15" sheet pan with cake release. Pour batter into pan, level top and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Invert onto cooling rack. 

Whipped Cream Frosting
4 cups  heavy whipping cream
8 tbsp powdered sugar 
2 tsp clear vanilla extract 

In mixing bowl with whisk attachment, add heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar, beat on medium high speed until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla. Mix until just combined. Use immediately and refrigerate cake after frosted.

Frost cake with the whipped cream. Take a package of Oreos (14.3 oz) and put in blender, blend until smooth and dirt like. Sprinkle oreo crumbs to look like dirt/hills. Pipe borders. Pipe and smooth a tombstone. Pipe on writing. Add gummy worms strategically poking out of the "dirt".