Bird's Nest Orange Carrot Cupcakes for Easter

I think I might be getting a little too into cupcakes.... oh well! For easter with the family this year I offered to make carrot cupcakes. Why carrot? because that's what the easter bunny eats, duh. Now, I got myself into a little pickle and got two different recipes then couldn't decide which one to use, so obviously I made both! Here's the first recipe. 

A huge thanks to my (future) mother-in-law Renee for sharing this amazing recipe with me! 

Orange Carrot Cake  

INGREDIENTS

Makes 24 cupcakes

Cake 

3 cups All Purpose Flour 

2 cups sugar 

1 cup coconut 

2 1/2 tsp baking soda 

2 1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp salt 

2 cups (4 medium) shredded carrots 

1 1/4 cups oil 

2 tsp vanilla 

1 tsp grated orange peel 

11 oz can (1 cup) mandarin oranges, undrained

3 eggs 

Frosting 

8 oz package cream cheese, softened 

2 tbsp margarine or butter melted 

1 tsp vanilla 

3 cups powdered sugar 

1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts (optional) 

Toppings 

2 to 3 cups sweetened coconut 

72 mini eggs 

INSTRUCTIONS  

Cake

Heat oven to 350 degrees farenheit 

Grease (not oil) 13x9 inch pan OR prepare two cupcake tins with liners 

In a large bowl, blend all cake ingredients; beat two minutes at high speed 

Pour into greased pan 

Bake at 350 for 45 to 55 minutes OR 15 to 20 minutes for cupcakes; until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
Cool. 

Frostings

In medium bowl, blend all the frosting ingredients except the nuts; beat until smooth. 

Spread over cake OR use a piping bag to ice cupcakes
Sprinkle with nuts if desired 

Toppings 

Spread coconut evenly over a baking tray 

Bake at 300 for 5 to 10 minutes; keep a close eye on it as it will burn quickly 

The Assembly: Ice the cupcakes making sure there's a little extra on the outside edges to help make your nests. Sprinkle the cupcakes with toasted coconut. Place  3 eggs in the centre of each cupcake and voila! 

Tips & Tricks: I left out the grated orange peel, still delicious. Also, use a food processor to shred your carrots! So quick and painless. 

Yummy Rolo Cupcakes

In my last placement every Thursday was pot luck, aka my favourite way to eat. I was nominated to make dessert and I remembered I had this super awesome giant cupcake holder, so obviously my first choice was to make cupcakes! But what kind? After scouring my cupcakes board on Pinterest and remember my favourite chocolate bar I decided on Rolo Cupcakes. 

Makes about 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

2 cups flour

¾ cup cocoa 

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup full fat mayonnaise

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups freshly brewed coffee

3 packs (about) Rolo chocolates - chopped 

40 (about) caramel candies (like chewy caramels)

Mini Rolos for decorating

Chocolate Fudge Buttercream Icing

I barely had enough to ice all of them, I'd recommend a double batch if you plan on using lots like I did.

1 cup softened butter

3 1/2 cups icing sugar

dash of vanilla extract

dash of cream

2 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/2 cup melted dark chocolate - cooled but still runny

Instructions 

Cupcakes 
Preheat oven to 180' C / 350' F .
Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl except for the freshly brewed coffee and mix on high speed until combined
Add the coffee bit by bit until it is all mixed in
Add the chopped up rolo chunks and mix
Fill some prepared cupcakes liners so the bottom is covered
Drop a single caramel candy the cupcake liner so it sits on top of the cake mixture
Cover the caramel with the remaining cake mixture but be careful not to over-fill (¾ way is perfect!)
Bake for about 20min. (I usually check after 15 min and take them out at about 18min)
Let them cool completely before frosting them

Frosting
Caramel Drizzle 
Make sure it isn't too hot or it'll melt the icing! 
And that's it!! Enjoy some delicious, chocolatey, chewy, caramely cupcakes. They we're a huge hit in the staff room, I had NONE to bring home and a few requests to bring in the recipe to share!
The original recipe I adapted this from can be found here at Bits of Sunshine. 

In an electric mixture, mix butter and icing sugar until smooth and fluffy, adding the cream bit by bit until a nice smooth piping consistency is reached.
Add the vanilla essence and mix a bit more
While the mixer is running, slowly add the chocolate and beat.
Ice your cooled cupcakes as you wish!

Melt the rest of the caramel candies using a double boiler and add 1-2 tbsp of cream, when the consistency is runny enough drizzle over frosted cupcakes.