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Christmas Cupcakes with Buttercream Icing Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.6 from 107 reviews
  • Author: Bertha
  • Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 12 cupcakes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

Celebrate the holiday season with these charming Easy Christmas Cupcakes featuring four festive designs: Christmas Tree, Melted Snowman, Reindeer, and Santa Hat. Each cupcake is topped with a rich and creamy homemade vanilla buttercream, colored vibrantly to bring the holiday spirit to life. Perfect for holiday parties or gifting, these cupcakes combine delicious flavors and delightful decorations that capture the magic of Christmas.

Ingredients

Scale

Cupcakes

  • 12 cupcakes (mix of vanilla and chocolate)

Vanilla Buttercream

  • 2 cups (448g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 8 cups (460g) powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4–6 tbsp (60-90ml) heavy cream or milk
  • Salt, to taste

Christmas Tree Cupcakes

  • Green gel icing color
  • 1 piping bag
  • Ateco 847 tip
  • Star sprinkles
  • Colorful nonpareil sprinkles

Melted Snowman Cupcakes

  • Brown gel icing color
  • Marshmallows
  • Food writing pens (black and orange)
  • 2 piping bags
  • Ateco 808 tip
  • Wilton 5 tip
  • 1 coupler
  • Large nonpareil sprinkles (for buttons)

Reindeer Cupcakes

  • Brown gel icing color
  • 4 oz melting chocolate
  • 2 piping bags
  • 1 coupler
  • Wilton 5 tip
  • Ateco 808 tip
  • Eyeball sprinkles
  • Large round red sprinkles (for nose)

Santa Hat Cupcakes

  • Red gel icing color
  • 2 piping bags
  • 1 coupler
  • Ateco 808 tip
  • Wilton 21 tip

Instructions

  1. Make the buttercream: Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of cream, mixing until smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar and continue mixing until smooth and well combined. Add more cream as needed to reach desired consistency, and season with salt to taste, starting with just under 1/8 teaspoon.
  2. Color the buttercream: Divide the buttercream into four bowls. Add slightly more frosting to two bowls intended for green and red colors since these need to be piled high. Color one bowl green, another red, one white, and one brown. Remember that colors will darken slightly as the buttercream sits.
  3. Christmas Tree Cupcakes: Fit a large piping bag with an Ateco 847 tip and fill it with green buttercream. Pipe a tall, large swirl starting from the edge of the cupcake inward, making three full circular rotations plus a small peak on top. Before moving to the next cupcake, decorate with star and colorful nonpareil sprinkles so they stick before the buttercream crusts.
  4. Melted Snowman Cupcakes: Use food writing pens to draw eyes, nose, and mouth on marshmallows ahead of time. Fit a large piping bag with an Ateco 808 tip and fill with white buttercream. Pipe a flower-shaped design by making “petals” one at a time around the cupcake. Smooth the top using an offset spatula. Place the marshmallow face towards the back of the cupcake, then add large nonpareil sprinkles as buttons down the center. With a medium piping bag fitted with a coupler and a Wilton 5 tip filled with brown buttercream, pipe the arms on the cupcake.
  5. Reindeer Cupcakes: Melt 4 oz of chocolate and pipe antlers onto parchment paper using a piping bag fitted with a coupler and Wilton 5 tip. Allow to dry completely. Fit a large piping bag with an Ateco 808 tip and fill with brown buttercream. Pipe a short, flat swirl offset slightly towards where the reindeer’s snout will be. Place a large red round sprinkle as the nose on the swirl’s end, place eyeball sprinkles above it for eyes, and top with the chocolate antlers.
  6. Santa Hat Cupcakes: Use a large piping bag fitted with an Ateco 808 tip filled with red buttercream. Pipe a large, tall swirl on the cupcake starting from the outside inward with three rotations and a small tip on top, leaving some space around the base. Then, fill a medium piping bag with white buttercream using Wilton 21 tip, pipe dollops of white frosting around the base and a fluffy ball on top, giving it the classic Santa hat look.
  7. Serving and Storage: Serve cupcakes at room temperature. To prevent color bleeding, serve the day they are decorated. Leftovers can sit at room temperature for up to 24 hours and should be refrigerated afterward in an airtight container for 3–4 days, bringing them back to room temperature before serving.

Notes

  • The buttercream recipe yields about 5 cups, enough for all 12 cupcakes and their designs. For fewer cupcakes or less frosting-intensive designs like snowman or reindeer, adjust amounts accordingly while keeping the frosting stiff enough to hold shape.
  • Melting chocolate amount (4 oz) is sufficient for 12 pairs of reindeer antlers. Use at least 2 oz if making fewer cupcakes to ensure easier piping and handling.
  • Colors will darken slightly as the buttercream rests, so color accordingly.
  • Decorate cupcakes promptly after piping to ensure sprinkles adhere well before the buttercream crusts.
  • For best results, store decorated marshmallows and chocolate antlers ahead to streamline assembly.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cupcake
  • Calories: 420
  • Sugar: 35g
  • Sodium: 90mg
  • Fat: 25g
  • Saturated Fat: 15g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 8g
  • Trans Fat: 0.5g
  • Carbohydrates: 45g
  • Fiber: 1g
  • Protein: 3g
  • Cholesterol: 70mg

Find it online: https://grannyeats.com/christmas-cupcakes-with-buttercream-icing-recipe/