Orange Chocolate Easter Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting

Put a little *hop* in your step with my moist and tender Orange Chocolate Easter Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting; they’re a springtime revelation the whole family will love! These adorable treats are topped with everyone’s favorite seasonal candy – Cadbury’s Mini Eggs – and are 100% Easter Bunny approved.

⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe 

Whether you’re Team Vanilla or Chocolate, Team White, Dark, or Milk Chocolate, these delicious Easter cupcakes are here for you. Made with a tender-crumbed orange chocolate cake base, a creamy, dreamy vanilla bean white chocolate frosting, and topped with crisp-shelled milk chocolate mini eggs, these tasty cupcakes have it all!

As an added bonus, these simple orange chocolate cupcakes can be made in a single bowl, without a mixer! Simply whisk your way to a gorgeously moist batter, then bake in either mini or regular muffin cups.

While your Easter-themed orange cupcakes are in the oven, you can whip up the delightfully simple 4-ingredient vanilla bean white chocolate frosting. Since you didn’t have to dirty the mixer for the cupcakes, you can get right to it!

When it comes time to decorate, feel free to leave your piping tips in the pantry. These easy Easter treats can be assembled with just a pastry bag and an offset spatula to create a cozy little nest for your pastel-colored chocolate mini eggs. Feel free to gussy them up even more with some pretty edible flowers and spring-colored sprinkles. 

Looking for more Easter recipes to try this spring? Try making this small batch Single Layer Double Dark Chocolate Cake, Easter Brownies with Cadbury Mini Eggs or these Cadbury Mini Easter Eggs Cookies!

🍴Ingredients

My Chocolate Orange Easter Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting might sound like a mouthful, but I’d bet you already have more than half of the ingredients on hand. Here’s a few notes to keep in mind before Easter weekend hits:

• Orange Zest - Fresh citrus zest adds tons of flavor to the chocolate batter and/or orange buttercream. Be sure to wash your fruit well, and only zest the colored portion of the rind; the white pith is quite bitter.
• Cocoa Powder - If possible, opt for Dutch-processed brands like Droste for the best, least bitter flavor.
• Baking Soda & Baking Powder - Yes, you need both, and make sure to check those expiration dates!
• Buttermilk - If you don’t have any on hand, don’t fret! You can make your own by adding a teaspoon of acid like vinegar or lemon juice to each cup of milk (dairy or plant-based). Stir together and let sit for about 5 minutes to curdle, then proceed as directed. Want to make your own buttermilk from scratch? Check out my guide for making homemade buttermilk or vegan buttermilk!
• Neutral Oil - Grapeseed, avocado, vegetable oil, canola, corn, or peanut oil all fit the bill. 
• White Chocolate - Make sure to grab high-quality white chocolate chips that lists cocoa butter as the primary ingredient.
• Unsalted Butter - Try to use grass-fed, organic, and/or cultured butter for the best flavor. Feel free to swap in your favorite plant-based substitute if you prefer.
• Vanilla Bean Paste - I love the tiny black flecks of vanilla beans in this frosting – it just feels so special! Vanilla paste is the least expensive means of getting the effect, but you can also feel free to swap in vanilla extract, powder, or actual vanilla beans if you prefer.
• Cadbury Mini Eggs - These are only in stores for a brief few weeks each year; make sure to grab some of these candy-coated chocolate eggs while they last! You’ll be so happy you did, and use to make brownies and cookies!

⚒️ Equipment

Perhaps surprisingly, you don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment to make these gorgeous orange chocolate Easter cupcakes! Here’s what you’ll need to grab:

• Mixer With Paddle Attachment - While you technically CAN make white chocolate buttercream without one, a hand or stand mixer will make your life so much easier.
• Muffin Tin & Cupcake Liners - Feel free to opt for either regular or mini muffin tins and liners here! 
• Mesh Strainer - I adore my mesh strainer and use it for a large number of recipes. It can help with straining ricotta, dusting desserts with powdered sugar, or act as a colander!

📖 Step by Step Instructions

These easy Easter cupcakes can be broken down into three primary steps:

Step 1: Make Orange Chocolate Cupcakes

Prep: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your cupcake tin with liners. 

Dry Ingredients: Sift the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.

Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the orange zest, buttermilk, oil, and egg until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until fully incorporated.

Bake: Fill each cupcake liner ½ way with cupcake batter before placing in the oven and baking. Make sure to check that the cake is fully baked by testing with a toothpick before removing it from the oven and allowing it to cool completely on a cooling rack.

• Bake mini cupcakes for 13-15 minutes. 
• Bake regular-sized cupcake liners for 20-23 minutes.

Step 2: Make Vanilla Bean White Chocolate Frosting

Cream butter: In a mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth with the paddle attachment.

Add sugar: Add approximately half of the powdered sugar and beat again. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the rest of the powdered sugar. Continue beating for a few minutes, scraping the sides as needed, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Add white chocolate: Finally, add the melted chocolate and vanilla - continue beating until the frosting is thick and fluffy. 

Step 3: Frost Cupcakes & Decorate

Pipe vanilla bean white chocolate frosting onto the cooled cupcakes, using just a plain pastry bag or a zip-top bag with the corner cut off. Use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to create a sort of nest. Top with sprinkles, mini eggs, and edible flowers. Enjoy! 

Looking to create delicious and homemade garnishes to elevate your creations? Try adding Sugared Flowers, Candied Rose Petals, Dried Orange Slices or Sugared berries!

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

1. Make sure to let your cupcakes cool COMPLETELY before decorating. I can’t tell you how sad it is to see your frosting melt and slip off. Go back and watch the Great British Baking Show Cake Week episodes to get the idea. It’s an easily avoidable bummer.
2. Test with a toothpick! The toothpick should have a few crumbs stuck to it (that means your cupcakes are nice and moist), but should not have any visible batter.
3. Make your cupcakes look as cute as Mr. Macgregor’s garden. There’s no clearer sign of spring than flowers, so try incorporating some edible blooms into your decorating. 

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