Spring Chick Cupcakes

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 20
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 large egg whites
• 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
• 1 piece black licorice, lace cut into 40 (1/3-inch)
• 20 whole almonds
• 140 pieces , red candy-coated licorice pastels or 1 piece , snipped red licorice laces

Recipe

• 1 directions for cupcakes:.
• 2 preheat oven to 350 degrees. line cupcake pans with liners; set aside. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. in a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated; scrape down sides of bowl, and beat in vanilla.
• 3 add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.
• 4 divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about three-quarters full. bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 5 minutes. remove cupcakes from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.
• 5 directions for frosting:.
• 6 in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, whisk sugar and egg whites until warm and sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. remove from heat. beat mixture on medium speed until completely cooled and stiff peaks have formed, about 10 minutes.
• 7 add butter, a few tablespoons at a time; beat until combined. add vanilla and salt; beat on low speed until smooth, about 5 minutes.
• 8 after cupcakes have cooled completely, turn upside-down. each cupcake becomes the body of a chick. spread buttercream frosting on a cupcake to anchor it to the serving plate while you are working. use a small offset spatula to coat the sides thickly with frosting, and then mound more on top to create a dome shape.
• 9 press toasted shredded coconut into the frosting -- it stands in for fuzzy feathers. hold the plate at an angle while applying the coconut so the excess falls back into the bowl.
• 10 place eyes (made from snipped black licorice laces) on chicks using tweezers. use a whole almond for the beak and red licorice for the feet and comb; both can be pushed into the frosting by hand.