Go Back
easter chick cupcakes
The Cookie Gallery

Easter Chick Cupcakes – Adorable Yellow Cupcakes with Buttercream Chicks

Easter Chick Cupcakes are the cutest thing you will bake this spring! Tender vanilla cupcakes are topped with silky Swiss meringue buttercream, piped into adorable little chick shapes, and decorated with candy melt beaks, sprinkle eyes, and tiny orange feet. They taste as good as they look!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Decorating Time: 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 14 cupcakes
Calories: 450
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Cupcakes:
  • 1 cup 200g granulated sugar
  • 1¾ cups 210g cake flour
  • 1½ tsp 6g baking powder
  • ½ tsp 3g baking soda
  • ½ tsp 3g salt
  • ¼ cup 57g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • ⅓ cup 80g full-fat sour cream, room temperature
  • ¼ cup 60ml vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp 15ml vanilla extract
  • ⅔ cup 160ml milk, room temperature
For the Frosting:
  • 6 tbsp 90ml water
  • 1⅓ cups 267g granulated sugar
  • 6 large egg whites
  • 3 sticks 340g unsalted butter, softened and cut into 1-inch slices
  • 1 tsp 5ml vanilla extract
  • Yellow gel food coloring
For Decorating:
  • ¼ tsp vegetable shortening
  • 2 oz 57g orange candy melts
  • Black nonpareils or black sprinkles

Equipment

  • 1 Cupcake pan

Method
 

  1. Preheat: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line cupcake pan with liners.
  2. Mix dry: In a large bowl, stir together sugar, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. Beat in butter: Add softened butter and beat slowly until mixture resembles damp sand, about 3 minutes.
  4. Combine wet: In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
  5. Combine: Add wet ingredients to dry and whisk until just combined.
  6. Add milk: Add milk and whisk until smooth and lump free. Batter will be thin.
  7. Fill and bake: Fill liners ⅔ full. Bake 14-16 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
  8. Make syrup: In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until syrup is completely clear.
  9. Whip egg whites: In stand mixer with whisk, whip egg whites to stiff peaks.
  10. Add syrup: With mixer on high, carefully pour hot syrup down side of bowl into egg whites. Whip until mixture cools completely to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
  11. Add butter: Switch to paddle attachment. On low, add butter slices one at a time until incorporated.
  12. Whip: Increase speed to high and whip until frosting is thick and smooth. It will look curdled first, keep whipping.
  13. Flavor and color: On low, add vanilla and yellow gel coloring. Whip until smooth. For extra-smooth frosting, let mixer run on low for 5 minutes.
  14. Make feet and beaks: Melt orange candy melts with shortening in 10-second increments. Transfer to piping bag and pipe feet and beak shapes onto parchment. Let set until firm.
  15. Pipe chicks: Fit piping bag with large round tip. Pipe large dollop on each cupcake for body, then smaller dollop on top for head.
  16. Add faces: Immediately press two black nonpareils into head for eyes. Gently press orange beak below eyes. Press two feet into bottom of body.
  17. Serve: Repeat with all cupcakes. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  1. Room temperature ingredients are essential for both cupcakes and frosting.
  2. Do not overmix cupcake batter, mix until just combined.
  3. Frosting will look curdled during butter addition. Keep whipping, it will come together.
  4. Cool meringue completely before adding butter, or frosting will melt.
  5. Make extra feet and beaks, they are delicate and having backups helps.
  6. Add decorations immediately after piping while frosting is still soft.
  7. Storage: Store assembled cupcakes in airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days.
  8. Make ahead: Cupcakes can be baked ahead, frosting can be made ahead, and candy pieces can be piped ahead.