Simple Christmas Cupcakes (with video!)

Discover ways to make these festive adorned Christmas Cupcakes! With 4 alternative ways to embellish them, they’re simple to make and so cute for Christmas events! Make your cupcakes and buttercream, and embellish based mostly on the directions and video and these might be a favourite very quickly!

Simple Christmas Cupcake Designs

Adorning lovely cupcakes doesn’t should be onerous. There’s no fondant right here and a few elements may even be made forward. We’ll use sprinkles, chocolate, marshmallows, gel icing colour, piping suggestions and some different issues to make scrumptious and spectacular cupcakes! Listed here are the 4 designs we’ll make:

• Christmas Timber
• Melting Snowman
• Reindeer
• Santa Hat

The way to Make Christmas Cupcakes

Make your cupcakes and allow them to cool fully. Then make your buttercream. Seize your provides, and also you’re able to go. These cupcakes might be able to social gathering very quickly!

Make The Cupcakes

The great thing about these cupcakes is that you should use any base cupcake you want. I used a mix of my Vanilla Cupcakes and Chocolate Cupcakes, however there are infinite cupcake recipes to selected from. Extra nice Christmas cupcake choices could be the Pink Velvet Cupcakes, Eggnog Cupcakes or Marble Cupcakes.

Make The Buttercream

It’s going to be greatest to make use of a sturdy and thick vanilla buttercream right here. You wish to use vanilla as a way to colour it correctly, and also you need it sturdy as a way to pipe your designs simply and the decorations will maintain up. I scaled up my traditional Vanilla Buttercream recipe, however for one thing rather less candy, Ermine Frosting would work as effectively.

Provides For Adorning

For these cupcakes, you’ll want:

• Gel Icing Colours: I used purple, inexperienced and chocolate brown. I used Americolor model this time round, however usually use Wilton too.
• Meals Author Pens: I used orange and black for the snowman face. I used Wilton ones, however can’t discover the orange on on-line, so I’ve linked to an Ateco set
• Marshmallows: Common dimension, non minis or jumbo marshmallows.
• Melting Chocolate: I used the Ghirardelli melting chocolate, however Wilton Sweet Melts, almond bark, and so on. ought to work fantastic too.
• Parchment Paper
• Piping Ideas: You’ll want 4 sorts of piping tricks to make the entire designs. The Ateco 808 tip, Ateco 847 tip, Wilton 5 tip and Wilton 21 tip.
• Couplers: You’ll want a few piping tip couplers to go together with your piping suggestions.
• Piping Baggage
• Sprinkles: Eyes and purple noses are wanted for the reindeer. Stars and one thing ornamental is required for the Christmas tree. These units would additionally work. Some type of giant nonpareils or spherical formed sprinkle is good for the buttons on the snowman.

The way to Beautify Christmas Cupcakes

After you make your buttercream and get your provides collectively, you may colour your buttercream in keeping with the colours you want for every design. Due to the taller piping on the Christmas Tree and Santa Hat cupcakes, you’ll use a contact extra of these two colours. I like to recommend dividing the buttercream evenly between 4 bowls after which eradicating just a little bit from two of the bowls so as to add to the opposite two bowls, in order that these have just a little extra. Coloration the 2 with just a little additional frosting within the inexperienced and purple colours, depart one white and colour the opposite brown. It’s best to have loads of buttercream. After getting your colours able to go, observe the instructions beneath for every design.

Ideas for Coloring Frosting

1. Use gel meals coloring, not liquid meals coloring. Gel meals coloring is thicker and extra concentrated, so that you want much less of it and it received’t skinny out your frosting. Liquid meals colours make it a lot tougher to get daring colours with out an excessive amount of liquid being added.
2. Frosting colour darkens over time. Needless to say the colours will get darker and bolder as they sit. You don’t have to go overboard with the purple and inexperienced, as soon as they appear like they aren’t getting any darker, go forward and cease. They may probably darken to the precise colour as they sit.

Christmas Timber

For these Christmas Tree cupcakes, you’ll use the Ateco 847 piping tip, star sprinkles and one thing ornamental for the tree. I used purple, inexperienced and white nonpareils, however be happy to make use of one thing else. These are easiest design of the 4.

• Add Swirl: Begin by including a big, tall swirl of buttercream to the highest of the cupcake utilizing Ateco tip 847. Begin piping on the skin of the cupcake and as you full a full circle, transfer the piping bag barely inward to create the subsequent circle rotation. Proceed piping, shifting inward for 3 full rotations, plus a small tip on high. Launch the strain and pull the bag away.

• Beautify the “Tree”: When you’ve added the frosting to the cupcake, go forward and add the decorations (the star and ornamental nonpareils) earlier than shifting on to the subsequent cupcake. The buttercream will crust because it sits and the sprinkles received’t stick as effectively. And that’s it! An excellent easy cupcake that appears so enjoyable and festive.

Melting Snowman

For the melting snowman cupcakes, you’ll want the marshmallows, meals author pens, purple/inexperienced/different colour giant nonpareils and the Ateco 808 tip and Wilton 5 tip.

• Create Snowman Faces: The very first thing to do is so as to add the faces to the marshmallows with the meals author pens. You are able to do this forward of time, in the event you’d like, and retailer the marshmallows for while you’re prepared to embellish later.

• Add Buttercream: Add the buttercream to the cupcake utilizing the Ateco 808 tip in nearly a little bit of a flower design, making one “petal” at a time as you progress across the outdoors of the cupcake in a single easy movement.
• Clean High: Use an offset spatula or one thing just like easy out the highest.
• Add Decorations: Add the face in the direction of the again facet of the cupcake, then add the buttons down the center. Lastly, pipe the arms onto the cupcake utilizing the Wilton 5 tip and a few brown buttercream.

Reindeer

For the reindeer cupcakes, you’ll want the melting candies, Ateco 808 tip, Wilton 5 tip, parchment paper and the attention and nostril sprinkles.

• Make Antlers: To begin, you’ll make the antlers with the melting chocolate. Soften the chocolate and add it to a piping bag with the Wilton 5 tip. Pipe the antlers onto a bit of parchment paper and allow them to dry. You’ll want two antlers per reindeer, so determine what number of reindeers you need and make the precise variety of antlers. These are one other a part of these cupcakes you may make forward. Retailer the dry and agency antlers in an air tight container till prepared to make use of.

• Pipe Buttercream Swirl: So as to add the buttercream for the reindeer, use the Ateco 808 tip. You’ll pipe a swirl of frosting onto the cupcake, however you wish to make a flattened swirl, not a brilliant tall swirl. You’ll additionally wish to offset the swirl a bit in order that the place the place the piping tip stops is the place the “snout” of the reindeer is, which must be just under middle, not proper within the middle.

• Add Decorations: Place the purple nostril sprinkle proper on the place the place the piping tip was eliminated. Place the eyes on the high of the “snout” and after which add the antlers on the high. Such a cute little man!

Santa Hat

The santa hat cupcakes require little or no by way of provides. You’ll want the Ateco 808 tip and the Wilton 21 tip. Just like the christmas tree cupcakes, you’ll begin by including a swirl to the cupcakes.

• Add Buttercream Swirl: Add a big, tall swirl of buttercream to the highest of the cupcake utilizing Ateco tip 808. Begin piping on the skin of the cupcake and as you full a full circle, transfer the piping bag barely inward to create the subsequent circle rotation. Proceed piping, shifting inward for 3 full rotations, plus a small tip on high. Launch the strain and pull the bag away. Go away just a little little bit of area across the base of the frosting to permit area to pipe the fluffy trim across the backside.

• Add Fluffy Trim: Use the Wilton 21 tip to pipe dollops of frosting across the base of the buttercream swirl.
• Add Fluffy Ball: Lastly pipe the fluffy “ball” onto the highest. And also you’re performed! Now you could have some fabulous adorned Christmas cupcakes! Santa could be proud.

Watch The way to Make Christmas Cupcakes

Learn Transcript

Print

Recipe

Simple Christmas Cupcakes

• 
  Creator: Lindsay
• 
  Prep Time: 2 hours
• 
  Complete Time: 2 hours
• 
  Yield: 12 cupcakes
• 
  Class: Dessert
• 
  Technique: Oven
• 
  Delicacies: American

---

Description

Discover ways to make these festive adorned Christmas Cupcakes! With 4 alternative ways to embellish them, they’re simple to make and so cute for Christmas events! Make your cupcakes and buttercream, and embellish based mostly on the directions and video and these might be a favourite very quickly!

---

Substances

12 cupcakes (I used a mixture of vanilla cupcakes and chocolate cupcakes)

Vanilla Buttercream*

• 2 cups (448g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 cups (460g) powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4–6 tbsp (60-90ml) heavy cream or milk
• Salt, to style

Tree Cupcakes

Melted Snowman

Reindeer Cupcakes

Santa Hat Cupcakes

 

---

Directions

Make the buttercream:

1. Add the butter a big mixer bowl and beat till easy and creamy.
2. Add about half of the powdered sugar and blend till easy and effectively mixed.
3. Add the vanilla extract and three tablespoons of cream and blend till easy and effectively mixed.
4. Add the remaining powdered sugar and blend till easy and effectively mixed.
5. Add extra cream till desired consistency is reached, then add salt to style. The salt provides taste and helps reduce down the sweetness. I like to recommend beginning with rather less than 1/8 tsp and including from there.

Coloration the buttercream:

1. Divide the buttercream into 4 bowls. I add just a little bit extra to 2 of the bowls for the inexperienced and purple, since these two colours are piled excessive and also you’ll want just a little extra of them.
2. Coloration the 2 with just a little additional frosting within the inexperienced and purple colours, depart one white and colour the opposite brown. Needless to say because the buttercream sits, the colours will darken.

To make Christmas tree cupcakes:

1. Add the Ateco 847 tip to a big piping bag. Fill with inexperienced buttercream.
2. Begin piping by making use of even strain to the piping bag and including a big, tall swirl of buttercream to the highest of the cupcake. Begin piping on the skin of the cupcake and as you full a full circle, transfer the piping bag barely inward to create the subsequent circle rotation. Proceed piping, shifting inward for 3 full rotations, plus a small tip on high. Launch the strain and pull the bag away.
3. When you’ve added the frosting to the cupcake, go forward and add the decorations (the star and ornamental nonpareils) earlier than shifting on to the subsequent cupcake. The buttercream will crust because it sits and the sprinkles received’t stick as effectively.

To make the snowman cupcakes:

1. The very first thing to do is so as to add the faces to the marshmallows with the meals author pens. Use the markers so as to add the eyes, nostril and mouth. You are able to do this forward of time, in the event you’d like, and retailer the marshmallows for while you’re prepared to embellish later.
2. Add the Ateco 808 tip to a big piping bag. Fill with white buttercream. Begin piping by making use of even strain to the piping bag and add the buttercream to the cupcake in nearly a little bit of a flower design, making one “petal” at a time as you progress across the outdoors of the cupcake in a single easy movement.
3. Use an offset spatula or one thing just like easy out the highest.
4. Add the face in the direction of the again facet of the cupcake, then add the buttons down the center.
5. Lastly, add the Wilton 5 tip to a medium sized piping bag fitted with a coupler. Fill with brown buttercream (from the reindeer cupcakes) and pipe the arms onto the cupcake utilizing the Wilton 5 tip.

To make the reindeer cupcakes:

1. To begin, you’ll make the antlers with the melting chocolate. Soften the chocolate and add it to a piping bag fitted with a coupler and the Wilton 5 tip. Pipe the antlers onto a bit of parchment paper and allow them to dry. You’ll want two antlers per reindeer, so determine what number of reindeer you need and make the precise variety of antlers. These are one other a part of these cupcakes you may make forward. Retailer the dry and agency antlers in an air tight container till prepared to make use of.
2. So as to add the buttercream for the reindeer, add the Ateco 808 tip to a big piping bag. Fill with brown buttercream. Apply even strain to the piping bag and pipe a swirl of frosting onto the cupcake. You wish to make a brief/flat swirl, not a brilliant tall swirl. You’ll additionally wish to offset the swirl a bit in order that the place the place the piping tip stops is the place the “snout” of the reindeer is, which must be just under middle, not proper within the middle.
3. Place the purple nostril sprinkle proper on the place the place the piping tip was eliminated. Place the eyes on the high of the “snout” and after which add the antlers on the high.

To make the Santa hat cupcakes:

1. Add the Ateco 808 tip to a big piping bag. Fill with purple buttercream. Begin piping by making use of even strain to the piping bag and including a big, tall swirl of buttercream to the highest of the cupcake. Begin piping on the skin of the cupcake and as you full a full circle, transfer the piping bag barely inward to create the subsequent circle rotation. Proceed piping, shifting inward for 3 full rotations, plus a small tip on high. Launch the strain and pull the bag away. Go away just a little little bit of area across the base of the frosting to permit area to pipe the fluffy trim across the backside.
2. Add the Wilton 21 tip to a medium sized piping bag fitted with a coupler. Fill with white buttercream. Pipe dollops of frosting across the base of the buttercream swirl. Pipe the fluffy “ball” onto the highest.

Serve your cupcakes at room temperature. As a result of the eyeball colours start to bleed after sitting for too lengthy and different colours from the sprinkles may also bleed, I like to recommend serving these the day they’re adorned. When you’ve got leftover cupcakes, they’ll sit at room temperature for as much as 24 hours, however must be refrigerated after that for as much as 3-4 days. Retailer them in an air tight container and serve at room temperature.

---

Notes

• Quantity of buttercream: The buttercream recipe makes about 5 cups of buttercream. In case you are making much less cupcakes or are solely doing the snowman or reindeer designs, you received’t want as a lot since these two designs don’t pile the frosting as excessive. Be happy to regulate as wanted, simply be certain that the frosting continues to be stiff sufficient to carry the decorations and keep in place.
• Melting chocolate: 4 ounceswould be sufficient to make 12 pairs of antlers. Be happy to make use of much less if you’re making fewer reindeer cupcakes. I discover that in the event you soften too little chocolate, it may be onerous to work with and pipe, so I’d advocate utilizing at the least 2 oz.

Key phrases: Christmas cupcakes, adorned Christmas cupcakes