Whether you’re looking for something to take to work, a friend’s party or just want something sweet for Christmas day, these Christmas cupcakes are sure to go down a treat!
Christmas Tree Cupcakes
You’ll need:
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup cocoa
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup oil (vegetable or olive)
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp vanilla essence
- ½ cup boiling water
For the icing
- 8 Tbsp. butter, softened
- 2 ½ cups icing sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp. milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla essence
- Green food colouring
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180oC. Place cupcake cases in a muffin tin and spray lightly with non-stick spray.
- Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl and mix together.
- Add the milk, oil, egg and vanilla to the dry mixture and mix until well combined. Carefully add the hot water to the mix bit by bit, mixing well.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the cupcake cases, place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, make the icing by creaming the butter until smooth, then add the sugar half a cup at a time, mixing until the sugar has been incorporated into the butter before adding the next half cup.
- Add the vanilla and milk, stirring until the icing has reached your preferred consistency. For a firmer icing, add more sugar and less milk.
- Add green food colouring until the icing is the desired colour. Pipe onto each cupcake with a piping bag in a swirl. Decorate with edible baubles and stars.
Gingerbread Cupcakes
You’ll need:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 1/3 cups plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ginger
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp allspice
For the icing
- 225g cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp. milk
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180oC. Place cupcake cases in a muffin tray and spray slightly with non-stick spray.
- Cream the butter and brown sugar together until creamy. Beat in the egg until combined, then add the milk, molasses and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until combined.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the cupcake cases, place in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, make the icing by beating the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add the sugar and 1 Tbsp. milk, and mix until combined. Add the vanilla, and the extra milk if the icing needs to be thinner.
- Ice the cupcakes immediately before serving.
Reindeer Cupcakes
You’ll need:
- 100g dark chocolate
- 1 cup water
- 125g butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ cups self-raising flour
- ½ cup plain flour
- ¼ cup cocoa
- 36 pretzels
- 18 white chocolate buttons
- 18 red M&Ms
- 36 green M&Ms
For the icing
- 125g butter, softened
- 3 cups icing sugar
- 1/3 cup cocoa
- 2 Tbsp. milk
Method:
- Preheat oven to 160oC. Place cupcake cases in a muffin tray and spray slightly with non-stick spray.
- Combine the chocolate and water in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool completely.
- Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the combined flours, cocoa powder and chocolate mixture, in batches, and stir to combine.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the cupcake cases, place in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, make the icing by beating the butter until very pale. Gradually add the icing sugar, cocoa and milk, in batches, beating well between each batch.
- Spread icing evenly over each cupcake. Arrange the pretzels on each cupcake to create antlers. Place a white chocolate button on the opposite side to create a nose. Use a little extra icing to attach the red M&M’s to create a red nose. Arrange green M&M’s for eyes.
For more Christmas cooking ideas check out our Pinterest page!