Creme Egg Cupcakes

It’s nearly Easter and you’re probably wondering what to do with the creme egg multipack that somehow fell into your shopping trolley when you were looking at broccoli. Here’s what: creme egg cupcakes.

 You will need:

• 12 creme eggs, defoiled
• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 200g caster sugar
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 180g self-raising flour
• 20g cocoa powder
• 75 ml milk

Makes 12

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/160 degrees C (fan oven)/350 degrees F/gas 4
• Cream the butter and sugar together until it’s light and fluffy, then add the beaten eggs. IMPORTANT: use the real eggs at this point, not the creme eggs, or it will all end in tears.
• Sieve the flour and cocoa powder together and add to the mix, then add the milk until you have a dropping consistency
• Half fill the muffin cases, then place a creme egg in each one. A quick word on cupcake cases – they come in a million different sizes. Use big ones here like Lakeland’s muffin cases
• Spoon the rest of the mix over the eggs
• Bake for about 20 minutes until the cupcakes are springy to the touch.

You now have two options:

a) eat them while they are still hot and the creme egg is warm and runny. This is full-on food porn

The money shot (cupcake on the right contains a Cadbury's caramel egg. I don't discriminate)

b) allow the cupcakes to cool in the tins, then transfer to a wire rack. This allows you to ice them just in case you think a whole creme egg inside a cupcake isn’t quite sweet enough.

To make buttercream, beat 125g of unsalted butter with 250g icing sugar, half a teaspoon of vanilla essence and a couple of tablespoons of water. If you want to hint at the eggy goodness inside the cupcakes, why not colour some of the buttercream yolk-yellow? 

These cupcakes were destined for the green room at The Stand in Newcastle as a thank you to the acts who last night generously gave their time and talent to raise money for the Sick Children’s Trust. It's what Jesus would have wanted. Happy Easter!

Thanks to Chris Ramsey for this photo of a “MoFo-ing cupcake”