Spring Chick Cupcakes

Credit: Martha Stewart, marthastewart.com

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 20

Ingredients

• Vanilla Cupcakes

• 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

• Buttercream Frosting

• 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

Directions

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.