Description
Delight in festive Christmas Tree Cupcakes featuring moist vanilla cake topped with luscious green buttercream frosting shaped like a Christmas tree, adorned with colorful sprinkles and Twizzler Pull 'n' Peel candy for a fun, holiday-inspired treat perfect for celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 tablespoon vanilla extract
Decoration
- 1/4 cup sequin-style rainbow sprinkles
- 2-3 Twizzler Pull 'n' Peel Candy, peeled into strings
- 16 oz. green buttercream frosting
- Star shaped sprinkles
- Confectioners sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside to ensure easy cupcake removal after baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine cake flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir gently to distribute the leavening agents evenly, then set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a medium bowl, whisk together softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, creating a smooth base for the batter.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the eggs to the creamed butter and sugar, whisking thoroughly. Then add milk and vanilla extract, whisking again until fully combined.
- Combine Mixtures: Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with dry ingredients and mix gently until the batter is smooth without overmixing to maintain cake lightness.
- Fill Cupcake Liners: Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling each approximately two-thirds full to allow room for rising without overflow.
- Bake the Cupcakes: Bake in the preheated oven for 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, indicating doneness.
- Cool Completely: Remove cupcakes from oven and allow them to cool fully on a wire rack before decorating to prevent melting of the frosting.
- Pipe the Frosting: Scoop green buttercream frosting into a piping bag fitted with an open star tip. Begin by piping a quarter-size circle in the center of the cupcake, then create a swirl moving outward and upward to form the shape of a Christmas tree, overlaying layers.
- Add Decorations: Wrap Twizzler Pull 'n' Peel candy strings around the base of each cupcake to mimic a tree skirt. Sprinkle rainbow sprinkles and place a star-shaped sprinkle at the top as the tree topper. Optionally, dust cupcakes lightly with confectioners sugar to simulate snow.
Notes
- If a piping bag or decorating tool is not available, a ziplock baggie with a small corner cut off can be used for frosting application.
- Ensure cupcakes are completely cooled before decorating to prevent frosting from melting.
- Use salted butter as specified for balanced flavor; adjust if using unsalted butter by adding a pinch of salt to the batter.
- Green food coloring may be added to buttercream if it is not pre-colored.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
