Bird's Nest Cupcakes

These were perfect for our Easter Dessert! And they were a big hit!!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

4 eggs

2 3/4 cupscake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 8 ounce carton sour cream

1/3 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon peel

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 recipe Citrus Frosting or 1-1/2 cups other frosting

6 ounces vanilla candy coating

4 cupschow mein noodles

Pastel-color candy-coated egg-shape milk chocolate candies or jelly beans (about 84)

Directions:

1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Line twenty-eight 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups. In a medium bowl stir together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl combine sour cream, orange juice, lemon peel, and lemon juice. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a very large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and sour cream mixture to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.

3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in cups.

4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups. Cool completely on wire racks.

5. Frost cupcakes with Citrus Frosting. In a small microwave-safe bowl microwave candy coating on 100 percent power (high) for 30 seconds. Stir; microwave for 20 to 30 seconds more or until completely melted. In a large bowl combine chow mein noodles and the melted candy coating. Shape chow mein mixture into a nest on top of each cupcake.*

6. Add candy-coated milk chocolate candies to each nest. Makes 28 (2-1/2 inch) cupcakes.

Citrus Frosting

Ingredients

1 16 ouncecancream cheese or vanilla frosting

1/2 teaspoonfinely shredded lemon peel

Directions

In a medium bowl stir together frosting and lemon peel.