Santa Cupcakes
Super-cute easy to make and DELICIOUS chocolate Santa cupcakes all decorated with buttercream!
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 25 min
- Yield
- 16 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- ¼ cup sour cream 57g (room temperature)
- ½ cup buttermilk 118mL (room temperature)
- 2 medium eggs
- ¼ cup hot coffee 60mL
- ⅓ cup veggie oil 79mL
- 2 tsp vanilla extract 10mL
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 180g
- 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar 265g
- ¼ cup cocoa powder 20g (nice)
- 1 tsp baking soda 6g
- ½ tsp kosher salt 2.5g
- 1 2/3 lbs confectioners sugar 700g 900g
- 1 lb butter 450g (unsalted, room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 5mL
- 1 tbsp whole milk 15mL
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt 2g
- food coloring
Instructions
- 1
For the Cupcakes:
- 2
Preheat to 350F. Add papers to a cupcake tin.
- 3
Sift the dry ingredients (including the sugar) into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine.
- 4
Add the wet ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together.
- 5
Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- 6
Whisk until smooth and combined.
- 7
Distribute batter evenly into the cupcake papers and bake for about 15 -20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- 8
Allow time to cool.
- 9
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
- 10
In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy.
- 11
Sift the confectioners' sugar into the creamed butter.
- 12
Add 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp salt, and milk.
- 13
Separate into 3 bowls. One will remain uncolored. One bright red and the other flesh colored. I used a touch of soft pink and orange but you can choose whichever color you'd like.
- 14
The white buttercream to a bag fitted with a 199 tip. Any medium-sized star tip will work though.
- 15
For the Assembly:
- 16
Use a small spatula or knife to smear and smooth some of the flesh toned buttercream across the centre of the cupcake.
- 17
Smear red buttercream onto the top third of the cupcake. I also spread another layer diagonally from the lower right to the upper left for the fold of Santa's hat.
- 18
Use a star tip to pipe a dollop of white buttercream for the end of Santa's hat. Now use the same tip and wiggle it across the cupcake to create the hat's trim.
- 19
Add the two mini chocolate chips pointy side down for the eyes.
- 20
Pipe the beard with the star tip using a loopy motion to give some gentle texture to the facial hair.
- 21
Use a red M&M (logo side down) for the nose.