Easter Cupcakes Baked in Real Eggshells
These Easter cupcakes baked in real egg shells are an unforgettable treat! They’re also great as an edible April Fools’ Day joke.
I watched my Grandmother’s face when she realized that I hadn’t handed her a hard boiled egg but rather a cake baked inside a real egg shell. Her eyes were filled with wonder and I could envision what she must have looked like as a tyke the very first time she saw a red balloon float across the sky or the the trunk of a giant elephant spewing a stream of water.
“Crack it on the table,” I told her.
Eggs were cracked, cupcakes were eaten, and I was perceived as a cupcake Houdini.
How to Bake Cake in an Egg
I modeled my cupcakes in egg shells after Nicky’s egg shell cupcakes from Delicious Days. My basic technique is similar to hers, but I went for a lemon and sour cream cake – light, springy and perfect for Easter morning.
Preparing the eggs is the tricky part of this recipe.
Carefully poke a small hole in the top of each egg. I found that the easiest way to do this was to use the tip of a corkscrew bottle opener [paid link].
Once you have poked tiny holes in your eggs, peel back the edges of the hole to expand it a bit. The holes need to be large enough to fit the tip of a piping bag inside. You can always make the holes larger when you are ready to pipe so err on the smaller side during this step.
Turn the eggs upside-down and dump out the contents. Remember to keep the contents of one egg separate to use in the cake recipe.
If you plan on using the other eggs for baking, it might be helpful to store them in small plastic containers in groups of two (otherwise it will be hard for you to later tell how much of your big bowl is two eggs).
(You may wonder why there is a thermometer in the photo. I used the tip of the thermometer to help get all of the egg contents out of the shells.)
Rinse the insides of the eggs out thoroughly over the sink. Then, immerse them in saltwater for thirty minutes. The eggs need to be filled with the saltwater in order to sink.
Rinse the eggshells in cold water and lay the eggs hole side down on a paper towel to drain and dry.
While the eggshells dry, prepare the cake batter as normal. (I recommend my best vanilla cupcake recipe with lemon extract instead of vanilla.)
Place the prepared egg shells into a cupcake tin. Use aluminum foil to help them stand upright.
Load the batter into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Make sure that the tip can fit all of the way inside of the egg hole. If it can’t, expand the hole a little bit at a time until it fits. Fill your eggs about 3/4 full with batter. This is the tricky part. If you underfill the eggs, you won’t have a complete cake egg inside when you crack them after baking. If you overfill the eggs, cake will overflow out of the egg during baking.
It looks ugly right after baking, but remove (eat) the excess cake and clean the shell with a damp towel.
I found that it was best to let the cake overflow out of the top of the egg and then simply pick it off (eat it) and clean the shell with a damp towel before serving.
Bake the eggs at 350 F for 23 minutes.
Let cool, crack, and eat!
Variation
Try dyeing the egg shells with food-safe food coloring. Be careful not to get dye inside the egg or it will dye your cake batter.
Serve with homemade jelly beans, surprise-inside Easter cupcakes, carrot cake cupcakes, or a larger cake decorated with edible flowers!
Easter Cupcakes Baked in Eggshells
Equipment
- Piping bags
Ingredients
- 10 large eggs Only one will get used in the cake; the rest are used for their shells.
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1/4 cup full-fat sour cream
Instructions
Egg Instructions
- Carefully poke a small hole in the top of each egg. I found that the easiest way to do this was to use the tip of a corkscrew bottle opener.
- Once you have poked tiny holes in your eggs, peel back the edges of the holes to expand them a bit. The holes will need to be large enough to fit the tip of a piping bag inside. You can always make the holes larger when you are ready to pipe, so err on the smaller side during this step.
- Turn the egg upside down and dump out the contents. I used the tip of a thermometer to help get all of the egg out of the shell. Keep the contents of one egg separate to use in the cake recipe. If you plan on using the other eggs for baking, it might be helpful to store them in small plastic containers in groups of two (otherwise it will be hard for you to later tell how much of your big bowl is two eggs).
- Rinse the insides of the eggs out thoroughly over a sink. Then, roll them around and immerse them in saltwater for thirty minutes. They will have to be filled with the saltwater in order to sink completely.
- Rinse the eggshells in cold water and lay the eggs hole side down on a paper towel to drain and dry.
Cake Instructions
- Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix one egg and sugar until light and creamy.
- Add the butter and lemon extract and mix until fully integrated.
- Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Add the sour cream and mix until smooth.
- Place the prepared eggshells into a muffin tin. Use aluminum foil in each well to help them stand upright.
- Load the batter into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Make sure that the tip can fit all of the way inside of the hole in each egg. If it can't, slowly expand the hole a little bit at a time until it fits.
- Fill each egg about 3/4 full with batter. If you underfill the eggs, you won't have a complete cake egg inside when you crack them after baking. If you overfill the eggs, cake will overflow out of the eggs during baking.
- Bake the eggs at 350 F for 23 minutes.
- Let cool, crack, and eat!
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