Bird Nest Cupcakes with Sweet Potato Frosting

With Easter only two weeks away, I know that our family will be indulging in more sugary treats than usual, so I opted to make these cupcakes with sweet potato frosting. Sweet potato frosting is easy to make and a healthier alternative to buttercream frosting. With hidden veg involved, I didn’t hesitate when my daughter asked to lick the spatula. 😊

For the cupcake, we used Baker by Nature’s Perfect One Bowl Vanilla Cupcake . Her recipes never disappoint, and I turn to her blog for 95% of my dessert needs. If you aren’t familiar with her, you should definitely check her out!

Here’s what you need

Cupcakes:

• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, very soft
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup full-fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 and 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

• 1 Medium sweet potato (~ 340 grams)
• 1 1/2 cups Semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla

Decorations:

• Chocolate sprinkles/Jimmies
• Easter egg candies (we used Cadbury Mini Eggs)

Here’s what to do:

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Line 2 cupcake tins with paper liners; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter, vanilla, and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy; about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, beat in the sour cream and then the milk. Turn mixer off. Add in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a fork to lightly toss the dry ingredients together. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the batter, mixing just until combined. Be sure not to over mix here or your cupcakes will be dense!
3. Spoon batter into prepared cupcake tin (filling 1/2 way each – not more or they’ll overflow) and bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

1. Poke many holes in sweet potato using a fork and cook on high in the microwave for 10 minutes (turn over after 5 minutes).
2. As soon as sweet potato is cool enough to handle (but still as warm as possible), scrape out the inside and puree in food processor until smooth.
3. Add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the food processor and pulse until melted from the heat of the sweet potato puree. Add remaining chocolate chips 1/2 cup at a time.
4. Add vanilla and blend until smooth.

Assembly

1. Once cupcakes are thoroughly cooled, pipe on the frosting (we used a medium star tip) starting from the outer edge of the cupcakes and working toward the centre.
2. Place several tablespoons of chocolate sprinkles in a bowl and dip each cupcake to coat the top of the frosting with sprinkles.
3. Nestle candy eggs into the top of your “nests”