Christmas Cupcakes

These festive Christmas Cupcakes are made of moist and fluffy vanilla funfetti cake topped with red and green Christmas-themed buttercream frosting. You will have so much fun making them and even more fun if you get the whole family involved. Not only do they look impressive on a dessert table, but they are delicious.

Unleash your jolly holiday spirit by decking these Christmas confetti cupcakes with holiday colored icing and sprinkles. With a step-by-step tutorial for Christmas tree cupcakes, Santa hat cupcakes, or Christmas wreath cupcakes, you can make one or make them all. Christmas cupcakes are the perfect holiday dessert to enjoy at gatherings or to give away to your family and friends.

We love making cupcakes for holidays because it's so much fun to get creative (remember our Bunny Ears Easter Cupcakes or Mother’s Day Cupcake with Rose Petal Buttercream Icing?). So of course we have to share a Christmas themed cupcake this year, and we cannot be happier with how they turned out! So, if you are still stumped on what dessert to make this Christmas, these funfetti cupcakes may be exactly what you are looking for.

Why You’ll Love these Christmas Cupcakes

• Fun and festive cupcakes! Soft and moist funfetti cupcakes topped with melt-in-your-mouth buttercream icing taste absolutely heavenly and are so endearingly cute! We love how the sprinkles give the cakes a pop of color in every bite. We also had so much fun decorating them with icing and even more sprinkles. You can always get creative with other edible embellishments if you like.
• An easy to follow, from-scratch recipe. This homemade confetti cupcake recipe does not use boxed cake mixes or ready-made buttercream icing. Everything is made from scratch because it is so easy to do so. It takes some time to decorate but you can be as simple or intricate as you like. You’ll be impressed with you as-good-as-bakery cupcakes made right in your kitchen!
• Simple ingredients. This recipe requires a few basic pantry and refrigerator staples like flour, baking powder, butter, and eggs. So if you like to bake, you will likely already have most (if not all) of these ingredients already at home.
• It is customizable. You can enjoy these Christmas cupcakes treats all season long and beyond by changing the color of the icing and sprinkles. Use pink or white sprinkles for Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, purple pink and yellow for Easter, orange and black for Halloween and so on. These confetti cupcakes can also be enjoyed on birthdays, baby showers, anniversaries too.
• Perfect for gift-giving. If you are not into Christmas shopping, place these cute treats in a box and you have a thoughtful, made-with-love present for everyone without stepping into a mall!

Ingredient Notes

To make these fun and festive Christmas Cupcakes, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in the recipe card below):

• all-purpose flour - ideal for making perfectly soft and fluffy cupcakes.
• baking powder - is the leavening agent used to make the batter rise as it bakes, making them tender and crumbly.
• salt - omit the salt in the recipe if using salted butter.
• butter - always use this at room temperature for a smoother batter. If you have salted butter, make sure to omit the salt in this recipe to balance the flavors.
• granulated sugar
• eggs - binds the ingredients together and give the cupcakes a richer flavor, structure, and nice golden color.
• vanilla extract - use the same amount of vanilla bean paste for a slight flavor boost.
• whole milk
• sprinkles - we use red and green Christmas sprinkles to keep it festive, but you can use regular sprinkles if you want, or leave them out completely. We also use rainbow confetti sprinkles for decorating the cupcakes.
• confectioners' sugar - this powder-like sugar will give you a smooth and silky buttercream icing.
• gel food coloring - you will need festive red and green food coloring for these cupcakes.

Baking Equipment

You will also need the following baking tools and equipment:

• 12-cup muffin pan
• cupcake liners
• measuring cups and spoons
• mixing bowls
• hand mixer and/or stand mixer
• wire cooling rack
• large and small piping bags
• piping tips
  • Atecco 808 (large round tip)
  • Wilton 68 tip (leaf decorating tip)
  • Wilton 1M tip (open star tip)
  • Wilton 32 tip (star tip)
  • Wilton 18 tip (open star tip)
• couplers (for securing the tips to the piping bags)

How to Make the Best Christmas Cupcakes

First, make funfetti cupcakes.

1. Cream butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add in eggs and vanilla, and beat until well incorporated and smooth.

2. Combine dry ingredients. In a separate medium-sized mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together to combine.

3. Combine ingredients together. Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the large bowl and mix on low speed until combined. Add ½ of the milk and mix on low until combined. Continue alternating the flour and the milk, until both have been completely added (finishing with the flour mixture).

4. Add sprinkles. Use a silicone spatula to fold in the sprinkles.

1. Bake. Line a 12-cup muffin pan by with cupcake liners. Use a cookie scoop or spoons to evenly disperse the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about ¾ full. Place the pan in a 350F preheated oven and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
2. Cool. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer them onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Next, make buttercream frosting.

1. Make buttercream. In a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, add the butter and beat on high speed until fluffy and pale, about 5 minutes (you can also use a hand mixer and large mixing bowl). Turn down to low speed, and begin adding the confectioners' sugar. Once all of the sugar has been added, add the vanilla and salt, then beat on high until very smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

2. Divide frosting. Divide the frosting up into 3 mixing bowls. Add a quarter of the frosting to a small mixing bowl (for the white buttercream). Evenly divide the remaining frosting into 2 large mixing bowls (for the red and green buttercream).
3. Color the icing. Add red food colouring to one large bowl and beat to combine. Add green food colouring to the other large bowl, and beat to combine.

Transfer buttercream into piping bags.

1. For the red frosting: Add three-quarters of the red frosting to a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip (Atecco 808). Add the remaining quarter to a small piping bag fitted with a Wilton 68 tip.
2. For the green frosting: Add three-quarters of the green frosting to a large piping bag fitted with a large Wilton 1M tip. Add the remaining quarter to a small piping bag fitted with a Wilton 32 tip.
3. For the white frosting: Add three-quarters of the green frosting to a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip (Atecco 808). Add the remaining quarter to a small piping fitted with a Wilton 18 tip.

How to Decorate Christmas Cupcakes

Christmas Tree Cupcakes

1. Using the large piping bag with green frosting, pipe a tall tree shape on top of one-third of the cupcakes.
2. Carefully insert a gold star cupcake topper on top of the tree all the way so that you can no longer see the toothpick. Sprinkle with rainbow confetti sprinkles on top. You can also dust some confectioners' sugar on top to look like snow.

Santa Hat Cupcakes

1. Using the large piping bag with red frosting, and pipe a swirl of frosting onto another one-third of the cupcakes.
2. Using the small piping bag with white frosting, pipe small stars around the bottom perimeter of the red swirl. Finally, use the same bag to pipe a small dollop onto the top tip if the frosting, then lightly use your finger to press down any edges to make it look more ball/round like.

Wreath Cupcakes

1. Using the large piping bag with white frosting, pipe a small round circle of frosting onto ⅓ of the cupcakes.
2. Using the small piping bag with green frosting, pipe a wreath shape on top of the white frosting.
3. Using the small piping bag with red frosting, pipe a bowl shape at the top of each wreath.
4. Lastly, sprinkle with rainbow confetti sprinkles.

How to Display Your Christmas Cupcakes

Just because these cute Christmas funfetti cupcakes are already very eye-catching, should not stop you from staging your cupcakes beautifully on your holiday table! Here are a few ideas on how to display them:

• Use cake or cupcake stands. A cupcake stand not only give the cupcakes the elevation they need to stand out and allows each cupcake to shine, rather than getting lost in the shuffle. Cupcake or cake stands are also a great way to save some space.
• Make a dessert board. This is another ingenious way to display your Christmas cupcakes creatively. Think of a Charcuterie board — but with desserts. Use any board shape you like and place the cupcakes on top. Then arrange other yummy holiday treats around the board. Try cookies, pecan pralines, candies, chocolate, and sprinkles.
• Place them in single-serve boxes. If you are planning to use them as a thoughtful party favor to takeaway, place the funfetti cupcakes in festive boxes or wrap individually.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

Make Ahead Buttercream Frosting

You can also make the buttercream frosting in advance and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up two weeks or up to 3 months in the freezer. If frozen, allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before using.

How to Store

Once the confetti cupcakes have cooled, you can place them in an airtight container and store them at room temperature in a dry, cool area of your kitchen for up to three days. If you want to store them longer, place them in the fridge for up to 5 days. Note that they may loose some moisture and dry out when stored in the fridge.

How to Freeze

You can also freeze Christmas funfetti cupcakes. If you are planning to do this, I recommend freezing them before frosting.

• Freeze before frosting: Wrap the unfrosted cupcakes in plastic cling wrap and place them in a freezer-friendly airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to three months.
• Freeze after frosting: If you've already frosted the cupcakes, you can still freeze them. Place frosted cupcakes on a baking tray and freeze until hard, about 1 hour. Then, wrap them tightly in plastic cling wrap, and then place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

Allow the cupcakes to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before icing and serving.

More Christmas Dessert Recipes

• 30 Best Christmas Desserts
• Christmas Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
• Holiday Yule Log Cake (Buche de Noel)
• Gingerbread Muffins with Vanilla Bean Glaze
• Chocolate Peppermint Christmas Bark
• Gingerbread House
• Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Maple Cinnamon Glaze

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