Description
Delight in these festive Christmas Tree Cupcakes, featuring moist vanilla cake topped with green buttercream frosting shaped like a whimsical Christmas tree, decorated with colorful sprinkles, Twizzler candy strings, and a star topper perfect for holiday celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients
- 2 cups cake flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ tablespoon vanilla extract
Decorations
- ¼ 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 Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and set it aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set this mixture aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a medium bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Whisk in the milk and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
- Combine Batter: Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until the batter is smooth and free of lumps.
- Fill Cupcake Liners: Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full to allow room for rising.
- Bake Cupcakes: Bake in the preheated oven for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool Cupcakes: Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
- Pipe Frosting: Scoop the green buttercream frosting into a piping bag fitted with an open star tip. Start by piping a quarter-sized circle in the center of each cupcake. Then pipe concentric circles from the outside edge inward in a swirl pattern overlapping each layer to create a tree shape. At the top, push the icing down slightly and pull up quickly to form the tree tip.
- Add Decorations: Wrap strings of Twizzler Pull 'n' Peel candy around the base of each cupcake to simulate a tree skirt. Sprinkle sequin-style rainbow sprinkles over the frosting and place a star shaped sprinkle at the tree top. Dust with confectioners sugar if desired to mimic snow.
Notes
- If you do not have a piping bag or a cake decorating tip, a ziplock bag with a corner snipped off works well for piping the frosting.
- Ensure cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting to prevent melting.
- The Twizzler strings add a fun texture and color contrast, but can be substituted with licorice strings or candy ropes if preferred.
- For a non-dairy alternative, use plant-based butter and milk substitutes, and dairy-free frosting.
- Decorate just before serving for best visual appeal and freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
