Description
Delight in these festive Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cupcakes featuring moist vanilla cupcakes topped with a creamy, smooth cream cheese frosting blended with crumbled Christmas Tree Cakes and decorated with red drizzle and green sanding sugar for a perfect holiday treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Cupcakes
- ¾ cup butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Frosting
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 10 Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Red gel food coloring
- Green sanding sugar
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners to prepare for baking.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a stand mixer bowl, add butter and granulated sugar. Cream them on medium speed until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. You can use a hand mixer if preferred.
- Add eggs, oil, and vanilla: Mix in the eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
- Incorporate milk: Add the whole milk and mix until combined. The batter may appear curdled, which is normal.
- Combine dry ingredients: Add flour, baking powder, and salt to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed initially until the dry ingredients are mostly incorporated, then increase to medium speed until fully combined.
- Fill cupcake liners: Fill each cupcake liner half to two-thirds full with the batter.
- Bake cupcakes: Bake in the preheated oven for 16 minutes or until cupcake edges are golden brown. Remove and allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare frosting base: In a stand mixer bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, and salt with the whisk attachment on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Add vanilla and sugar: Mix in vanilla extract and powdered sugar on low speed until just combined; set aside.
- Crush Little Debbie cakes: In a food processor, pulse the Christmas Tree Cakes until finely crumbled and creamy. Alternatively, mix with a hand mixer for a lumpier texture.
- Combine cake crumbs with frosting: Add the crushed cakes into the frosting bowl and mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth.
- Prepare red drizzle: Place ½ cup frosting in a separate bowl, mix in milk and red gel food coloring thoroughly. Transfer this red frosting to a piping or storage bag.
- Fill piping bag: Put the remaining frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip or a large round tip if the frosting is not smooth.
- Frost cupcakes: Pipe a tall swirl of frosting onto each cooled cupcake.
- Drizzle red frosting: Cut a small hole at the end of the red frosting bag and drizzle the red frosting back and forth over each cupcake gently.
- Decorate with sanding sugar: Sprinkle green sanding sugar over the frosted cupcakes for a sparkling holiday finish.
- Storage: Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 to 7 days due to the cream cheese in frosting. They remain fine at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.
Notes
- Ensure cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting to prevent melting.
- If you don't have a stand mixer, a hand mixer works well for both cake and frosting preparation.
- Use large cupcake liners to accommodate the frosting swirls and decorations.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container to maintain freshness and prevent frosting from drying out.
- For a smoother red drizzle, use gel food coloring rather than liquid to avoid thinning the frosting.
- You can substitute vegetable oil with canola oil if preferred.
- Crushing the Little Debbie cakes thoroughly ensures a creamy texture in the frosting without lumps.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
