Ingredients

  • 3 None eggs, 1 separated, 2 left whole
  • 2/3 cup salted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • a few drops red, yellow, green and blue food coloring
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 oz chocolate, finely chopped

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners. Mix the egg yolk, whole eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla, flour, baking powder and salt until smooth and creamy. Stir in the milk. Distribute the batter between the paper liners and bake for about 20 mins until just firm to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
  • Reduce the oven to 250°F. Whisk the egg white to soft peaks. Gradually add 1 cup powdered sugar and the lemon juice and continue to whip until stiff. Divide between 5 small bowls and add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl to make 1 bowl of each color and 1 white bowl.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon the icings into small plastic sandwich bags, squeezing the mixture into the corners. Snip off a small corner of each bag and pipe egg shapes onto the parchment paper. Reserve about 1 tbsp of each color icing. Use the reserved icing to go back over the egg shapes and decorate with contrasting colors. For a finer tip, squeeze the icing into new bags and snip an even smaller hole than previously used. Cook in the oven for 20-30 mins until dry. Set aside to cool.
  • To finish, beat the remaining powdered sugar with the cream. Add a little green food coloring. Place in a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe stars over the cupcakes. Push the dried eggs gently into the frosting and sprinkle with the chopped chocolate.