Growing up, my diet consisted of Happy Meals, Nutty Bars and Circus Animal Cookies. Throw in the occasional slice (yes, slice) of orange & vanilla checkered ice cream (courtesy of my grandpa and grandma who loved buying the ice cream in a box) aaaand the nutrition of fruit cocktail and you have yourself my childhood food pyramid.
So with that in mind, it was no surprise that we ate a ton of candy growing up, especially during the holidays.
My grandma (not the boxed ice cream one) was notorious for supplying us with said candy. And while we would occasionally get name-brand stuff (like the Mother’s Animal Cookies), most of the time we were subjected to the off-brand stuff no one knew about. Kinda like the off-brand scary German version of Frosty the Snowman that she made us watch. I’m not quite sure where or when she purchased the candy from, but as a kid you certainly don’t question the expiration date or the scary black market from which they originated.
So usually during Easter and our annual Easter Egg Hunt, we would find typical grandma-y candy like really sticky butterscotch discs and Starlight Mints that had seen better, brighter days than from the bottom of a purse, along with typical trinkets like quarters or jelly beans that all had the same flavor: no flavor. We certainly didn’t have Cadbury Creme Eggs, so I didn’t actually try them until I was an adult because I didn’t know such a confection existed.
Upon trying that sweet, gooey soft fondant filling I knew I wanted to make something with it. It has the perfect sticky base to be whipped mercilessly into a frosting so the idea of a Vanilla Bean Cadbury Creme Frosting came about. I generously piped it onto cooled chocolate cupcakes and garnished them with a hollowed-out Cadbury egg half.
The result? The cutest Easter cupcakes EVER — and a dream come true for your Cadbury Creme lovers!! This ain’t yo grandma’s butterscotch disc. Come and get ’em!!
*inspired by Erica’s recipe
- 18 chocolate cupcakes, baked and cooled (use a box mix or your favorite homemade recipe)
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste (can substitute vanilla extract if you'd like)
- ¼ cup heavy cream or milk
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 9 Cadbury Creme Eggs, unwrapped
- Pastel nonpareils, if desired
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and vanilla bean paste until creamy and combined. (You can find vanilla bean paste at many grocery stores or local markets, but I like finding it at places like TJ Maxx and HomeGoods for significantly cheaper. If you cannot find vanilla bean paste, you may substitute vanilla extract -- just increase the amount by a teaspoon or so, imparting a stronger vanilla flavor).
- Beat in the heavy cream or milk until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, until frosting is light and fluffy.
- Meanwhile, gently cut each Cadbury in half lengthwise. Scoop the fondant out from each egg half and spoon the fondant into the stand mixer bowl. Repeat with remaining 8 eggs. Do not discard emptied egg shells.
- Beat the fondant mixture into the frosting until fully incorporated. Once combined, spoon the frosting into a piping bag attached with a large open tip (I like Atecco 801, but any large tip will do) and pipe generously onto each cupcake. Sprinkle the cupcakes with the nonpareils if you'd like, and garnish the top with a Cadbury Creme Egg half.
- Store frosted cupcakes airtight in the fridge up to 5 days.
This sweet, smooth frosting is one of my favorite frosting recipes to date! I love the combination of that rich, warm vanilla flavor and the specks of the fresh vanilla beans that imparts such a wonderful flavor to this frosting — it totally takes that flavor profile up a couple notches. And the fondant whipped inside is a nice touch of sweetness, bringing this ordinary frosting to life with some added stickiness and softness. If you’re a Cadbury Creme Egg fan, you’ll love these irresistible cupcakes! Bonus: consider using the Cadbury Creme Caramel Eggs or Chocolate Eggs for a fun spin on this frosting!
Have a fantastical weekend!
xo, Hayley
Beanie says
Oh myyyyyyy. Creme Eggs are incredible, though the guy I’ve been dating doesn’t agree… Is this a make or break situation?… POSSIBLY BECAUSE THESE ARE HEAVEN. Can’t wait to try these out!!
annie @ chase that i love says
I love Cadbury Eggs! My mom only ever let me have half of one every Easter. Why did she bother putting the whole one in my basket is beyond me….guess she wanted the other half to herself? Anyways, even though I was only allowed half, I’m pretty sure they’ve shrunk since days of yore…although not they have the chocolate filled kind, which I guess sort of makes up for it. These look amazing!
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
DYING! I just recently made a Cadbury Crème Egg cupcake and it was seriously amazeballs (and I never use this word). I LOVE LOVE LOVE this version. The frosting looks amazing!
Sophia @ NY Foodgasm says
OMG GENIUS for Spring and Easter! I love it! Gonna pin!
Carrie says
Cadbury eggs are my #1 candy…wish I lived in Europe so I could get them all year long…but I have NEVER considered making them into a recipe!! This is so cool, can’t wait to try them.
Nancy [email protected] says
These look gorgeous Hayley!! It has been years since I had a Cadbury but these make me want to run right out and get them!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
….I just realized I’ve never had a Cadbury Cream Egg (at least not that I can remember). This is a major problem. I love the brilliant idea of making a frosting out of the filling!!!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
OMG. It’s so amazing that you scooped out the filling. I’m in love!
angela says
How do you thicken your frosting? I tried to add more powered sugar….. Should the setting be on high when you are mixing it?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Angela! I use a medium-high speed, and yes, adding more powdered sugar should do the trick!
Tieghan says
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! You are just amazing and these are just amazing!
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain says
Oooooooh now that is a frosting I need to get to know. Hello cadbury creme frosting. My name is Jess. I want to eat you. I SHALL eat you…
not sure how I got so creepy so quickly (sorry about that) but I <3 your cadbury creme cupcakes. 🙂
Christi says
Those look SO good. Black market candy and Starlight purse mints. Girl, I *so* get you. And let’s be honest, I still don’t question black market candy, I’ll pretty much go with whatever is out on the street. That may be a sign that I need help. But in the meantime, hand over one of those cupcakes, YUM!
Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures says
That icing is ingenious!
Amy @ Amy's Healthy Baking says
I actually just tried my first Cadbury creme egg last year, and… I didn’t really like it. Maybe it was because it’s milk chocolate (I love dark), or that I had one of the large ones instead of minis (if I have to have milk chocolate, it better be a small amount), but I much prefer the regular dark chocolate Easter bunnies over the eggs. That being said… I think that a Cadbury creme cupcake would definitely change my mind, especially ones as cute as yours!!
Janet says
Hi. I made these for Easter! I used the caramel ones and they were fantastic! Husband and kids loved them! I could not find any pastel sprinkles – would have made them a tad more festive. Also, it helped to have the eggs cold – made it easier to cut! Will have to have these every Easter! Thanks for the recipe!
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