These Christmas cupcakes are super fun, super cute and perfect for the festive season.
I have been trying to decide what kind of Christmas cupcakes to bake this year and couldn’t decide between melted snowmen, Christmas trees and Santa hats. The only option I could think of was to make all three.
Vanilla Cupcake
I wanted to focus more on the decoration with these cupcakes so decided to make a super simple and easy vanilla sponge.
The vanilla cupcake recipe was one of the first recipes I posted on my blog. It is such a classic and so easy to adapt if you want to change the flavour.
I started by creaming together the butter and sugar. In the cupcake you can use either unsalted butter or a baking spread like Stork, either will work perfectly for cupcakes.
I added the remaining ingredients and mixed until they were completely combined. With cupcakes, you really don’t need to mix the batter for too long, around a minute or two.
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You want the cupcake mixture to be completely incorporated and smooth. Overmixing can cause lots of problems, including making your cupcakes dense, and chewier and causing them to sink in the middle.
I split the cupcake mixture using a small ice cream scoop. I find it the perfect way to make sure all the cupcakes are even.
You can use any cupcake cases you fancy. I use these Baking Cups from Iced Jems. They come in so many cute designs and colours and these Christmas-themed ones were perfect for this bake.
Baking the Cupcakes
You will know the cupcakes are baked because they will be golden brown in colour and if you gently press your finger on the top of them, they should spring back to their original shape when you remove your finger.
If you end up with a slight dent in the top of the cupcake where your finger has been then pop them back into the oven for 3-4 minutes and repeat until they spring back.
If you are using regular baking cups and baking using a muffin tin leave them to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes before moving them onto a wire rack to cool fully.
Vanilla Buttercream
I made Vanilla buttercream for these cupcakes, but you could add in a flavoured extract if you prefer.
The Vanilla Buttercream is super quick and easy to make, just beat together the butter and sugar until it is combined and creamy.
Split equally between three bowls, to one bowl you need to add the red food colouring, in the other bowl, green food colouring and in the final bowl you can add white food colouring or leave it as it is.
When you add the food colouring add a little at a time and mix in between each addition. If you put too much food colouring in, to begin with then you are stuck with the colour. If you add it little by little, then you have more control over the final colour.
Add the buttercream to piping bags, add the red to a piping bag with a large round nozzle, and the green to a piping bag with a 2D Star Nozzle.
With the white buttercream we need to split it between two piping bags. One with a large round nozzle for the snowmen and one with a 2D or 1M Piping Nozzle for around the Santa hat cupcakes.
Christmas Tree Cupcakes
Pipe the green buttercream in swirls on the cupcakes creating a peak at the top. Decorate with a chocolate star on top and some pearl or ball sprinkles. I used this Chocolate Rainbow Bubble Sprinkle Mix.
Santa Hat Cupcakes
Pipe the red buttercream onto the cupcakes again in a swirl, creating a peak at the top. Leave a little gap around the side of the cupcake for the white buttercream. Pipe the white buttercream with the 2D or 1M piping tip around the edge of the cupcakes and onto the top of the red swirl.
Melted Snowmen Cupcakes
Pipe the buttercream onto the top of the cupcake. I start from the inside of the cupcake and work my way out. You don’t need to pipe a swirl on these ones you want them to be quite flat.
Smooth the buttercream out using a palette knife. Add a snowman marshmallow and some sprinkle buttons to the centre of the cupcake.
To finish the snowmen cupcakes, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring after each burst until the chocolate is completely melted.
Pop the chocolate into a piping bag with a small round nozzle and pipe some arms onto your melted snowmen.
Alternatives
As I said above, I wanted to keep the flavour of these cupcakes quite simple and focus on the decoration, but you could make the cupcakes any flavour you fancy.
If you want to make them chocolate just remove 25g of flour and replace it with cocoa powder. Add in 25g of whole milk too.
If you want to just make either the Santa Hat or Christmas Tree Cupcakes instead of all three use 200g of Unsalted Butter and 400g of Icing Sugar and follow the instructions.
It is slightly different if you want to make the Melted Snowman Cupcakes use 150g of Unsalted Butter and 300g of Icing Sugar and again follow the instructions.
Equipment
Sprinkles for the Christmas Tree Cupcakes and Snowman Buttons.
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Christmas Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Cupcakes
- 145 g Unsalted Butter or Stork
- 145 g Caster Sugar
- 145 g Self-Raising Flour
- 4 Large Eggs
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Buttercream
- 500 g Icing Sugar
- 250 g Unsalted Butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3-4 tbsp Whole Milk (optional)
- Green Food Colouring
- Red Food Colouring
- White Food Colouring (optional)
Christmas Tree Cupcake Decorations
- Chocolate Stars
- Sprinkles
Melted Snowman Cupcake Decorations
- Snowman Marshmallows
- Sprinkles
- 50 g Milk Chocolate
Instructions
To Make the Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160 Fan. Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners and leave them to one side.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and whisk until they are all combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the cupcake liners. I use a small ice cream scoop to do this so I know that they are all even.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. You will know the cupcakes are ready when they are springy to the touch.
- Leave them to cool for 15-20 minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack to cool fully.
To Make the Vanilla Buttercream
- Add the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl and mix until all the ingredients are incorporated.
- If the buttercream is too thick add 1 tbsp of milk and mix. Repeat until the buttercream is the desired consistency.
- Split the buttercream equally into three bowls.
- Add the green food colouring a little at a time to one bowl. Mixing after each addition of food colouring. Once you have reached the desired colour pop it into a piping bag with a 1M or 2D piping tip and leave it to one side.
- Add the red food colouring a little at a time to the second bow. Mixing after each addition. Once you have reached the desired colour pop it into a piping bag with a large round nozzle and leave it to one side.
- With the third bowl, you can leave it as it is or add some white food colouring. Mixing after each addition. Once you have reached the desired colour, split this buttercream into two equal amounts. Put one into a piping bag with a large round nozzle and the other half into a piping with a 1M or 2D piping tip.
Christmas Tree Cupcakes
- Pipe the green buttercream in swirls on the cupcakes creating a peak at the top.
- Decorate with a chocolate star on top and some pearl or ball sprinkles.
Santa Hat Cupcakes
- Pipe the red buttercream onto the cupcakes again in a swirl, creating a peak at the top. Leave a little gap around the side of the cupcake for the white buttercream.
- Pipe the white buttercream with the 2D or 1M piping tip around the edge of the cupcakes and onto the top of the red swirl.
Melted Snowman Cupcakes
- Pipe the buttercream onto the top of the cupcake. I start from the inside of the cupcake and work my way out. You don’t need to pipe a swirl on these ones you want them to be quite flat.
- Smooth the buttercream out using a palette knife. Add a snowman marshmallow and some sprinkle buttons to the centre of the cupcake.
- To finish the snowmen cupcakes, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring after each burst until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Pop the chocolate into a piping bag with a small round nozzle and pipe some arms onto your melted snowmen.
Notes
- These cupcakes will last for 3+ days in an airtight container.
