Spring is in the air and I love absolutely everything that it entails. With Easter being a mere six days away I have been busy stuffing eggs with candy, putting the finishing touches on Toodie’s basket, and thinking of a few treats to make for our family get together on Sunday. Like the majority of the holidays, my mom leaves the dessert table up to me and that’s a lot of pressure. I must make something special!  This year I wanted to keep it simple and thought these colorful cupcakes would be an adorable after dinner dessert for all ages to enjoy. Topped with vanilla buttercream frosting and chocolate covered PEEP® marshmallow eggs- these cupcakes will make your dessert table sparkle and shine!

First things first, make your cupcakes. Any kind will do. Once you have a batch cooked and cooled you can start the fun part which is decorating those sparkly Easter egg toppers. Before you make the buttercream frosting you want to get your marshmallow eggs coated so they can chill and harden in the refrigerator. Otherwise, you will have a goopy mess of dripping eggs and a sad looking cupcake underneath.

Melt a cup of white candy melts in a microwave safe bowl in 60 second intervals, stirring occasionally until chocolate is creamy. I find it best to add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to the mixture to thin it out. If a teaspoon is not enough, add little by little until you have the consistency that works best. If it gets to thin just add a few more candy melts to balance. This makes the coating process much easier because the chocolate won’t be tugging on the soft marshmallow. You want it to keep its shape because after all, these are supposed to be eggs!

Take a cake pop stick and pierce the bottom of the marshmallow while sliding it about half way through. I used PEEPS® Marshmallow Eggs but this can be done with bunnies or chicks as well. Dip the marshmallow into the chocolate and carefully twirl it around until all sides are coated. Use a tiny rubber spatula or knife to cover and smooth out edges.

Use colorful sugar crystals or sprinkles to coat the chocolate covered marshmallow on all sides. Don’t forget the edges but don’t worry to much about the area around the stick as this will be covered once they are placed on top of the cupcake. Once finished place them on a plate and begin decorating with Spring candy. I used these bright sugar flowers and attached them with a small dab of melted chocolate. You can create any pattern or color scheme depending on what decorations you are working with.

When finished place these in the refrigerator to firm up while you prepare the frosting.

Now it’s time to make that vanilla butter-cream frosting with the easiest recipe around.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of confectioner’s sugar
• 1 cup of butter
• 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  

Directions:

In a large bowl or stand mixer beat butter and sugar together on low speed until blended. Increase speed and beat for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add vanilla and cream while continuing to beat for another minute.

Once your frosting is made transfer it to a piping bag and top your cupcakes. Remove marshmallow pops from the refrigerator. Before placing them in the cupcakes I suggest adding extra support by sliding a paper straw inside of the same opening that the cake pop stick was placed in. These candied marshmallow eggs are awfully heavy and this will prevent them from leaning or tipping over. When finished just trim the stick to the height of the cupcake and stick them right in the middle so they are resting on top of the frosting.

What kind of fun Spring themed goodies are you making this week?