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The holidays are so much fun- I love the decorating, the presents, and the food! My favorite treats are really festive and colorful like these Easy Cake Mix Christmas Cupcakes With Decorating Ideas that anyone can do! With a simple box mix hack to make the cakes extra moist and buttercream made from scratch – Santa will really love this dessert!
More Holiday Treats To Try: Christmas Tree Meringue Cookies
Why You Need To Make Easy Cake Mix Christmas Cupcakes With Decorating Ideas
- We use a box cake mix hack of milk instead of water, sifting the mix really well, and manually whisking for extra fluffy moist cakes.
- Simple step by step instructions to make the red and green swirl frosting decoration.
- The cupcake toppers are super cute and fun!
Baking Tips For Easy Cake Mix Christmas Cupcakes With Decorating Ideas
Like I mentioned earlier I used a cake mix hack of substituting milk for water. This makes the cakes extra fluffy, moist, and creamy! I also slowly whisked the batter by hand instead of using my stand mixer to get perfectly fluffy cakes.
After I heavily overmixed my black Halloween cupcake batter I knew I didn’t want that to happen again. I usually use my stand mixer but I wanted to see how they’d turn out if I slowly whisked them, and I love how they turned out.
If you are baking two full cupcake pans at a time then baking them for 15 minutes is best, but I only have one pan so I had to bake in batches. If you’re like me then I recommend adjusting the baking time down to 12-13 minutes- then turn the oven off and let them rest in the oven for 1-2 more minutes.
Frosting & Decoration Tips For Easy Cake Mix Christmas Cupcakes With Decorating Idea
The temperature of the cupcakes and the frosting is one of the most important factors when getting ready to frost. You want the cupcakes to be chilled from the refrigerator. If they’re too warm the frosting will melt and slide off.
The frosting is more temperamental- you don’t want it to be full chilled because it will be too hard to flow out of the piping tip. Also if it’s too warm it will not hold shape- I like to set the frosting in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before show time!
Ingredients
- Vanilla Box Cake Mix
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup full fat milk
For The Frosting
- 2 cups 4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 8 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅕ cup heavy cream
- Pinch of salt
- Few drops red food color
- Few drops green food coloring
Directions
- With this recipe we are not going to follow the box cake mix ingredients exactly- instead we are using full fat milk instead of water to make them extra creamy and soft
Make The Cupcakes
- Sift the box cake mix into a large mixing bowl
- Whisk the oil and eggs into the cake mix
- Then whisk in the milk
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
- Line your cupcake pan with liners and fill them slightly over ½ full
- Bake for 12-13 minutes. 15 minutes is the maximum time but I like to bake for 13 minutes then turn off the oven and let them rest in the hot oven for a few minutes
- Let the cupcakes rest to room temperature then set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before frosting
Make The Frosting
- Combine the softened butter with 1 cup powdered sugar to start – in your stand mixer and beat then slowly more sugar until it’s all blended in
- Then mix in the cold heavy cream, vanilla, and pinch of salt
- Transfer half of the frosting to a separate mixing bowl and add one of the food colors and mix
- Add the other food color to the frosting that’s still in the initial mixing bowl and mix
- Use a large sheet of plastic wrap and set it on a flat surface- scoop one of the colors into it and wrap it into the shape of a thick tube
- Do the same with the other color
- Now grab a large piping bag and for it with the Ateco 869 Pastry Tube – French Star – Size 9 or Wilton No. 8B Open Star Piping Tip
- When you’re ready to frost the cupcakes snip the ends of each wrapped frosting and drop them together into your fitted piping bag
- You want the frosting to be firm but not too cold when you’re ready to frost the cupcakes. If it’s too cold it will come out in hard chunks and if it’s too warm it wont hold its shape and eventually slide off the cupcake all together
Easy Christmas Cupcakes With Frosting Decorations
Equipment
- 2 Large Mixing Bowls
- Large Whisk
- Ateco 869 Pastry Tube – French Star – Size 9 or Wilton No. 8B Open Star Piping Tip
- 2 Sheets Plastic Wrap
- 1 Large Piping Bag
Ingredients
- 1 Vanilla Box Cake Mix
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup full fat milk
For The Frosting
- 2 cups 4 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 8 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅕ cup heavy cream
- Pinch of salt
- Few drops red food color
- Few drops green food coloring
Instructions
- With this recipe we are not going to follow the box cake mix ingredients exactly- instead we are using full fat milk instead of water to make them extra creamy and soft
Make The Cupcakes
- Sift the box cake mix into a large mixing bowl
- Whisk the oil and eggs into the cake mix
- Then whisk in the milk
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
- Line your cupcake pan with liners and fill them slightly over ½ full
- Bake for 12-13 minutes. 15 minutes is the maximum time but I like to bake for 13 minutes then turn off the oven and let them rest in the hot oven for a few minutes
- Let the cupcakes rest to room temperature then set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before frosting
Make The Frosting
- Combine the softened butter with 1 cup powdered sugar to start – in your stand mixer and beat then slowly more sugar until it’s all blended in
- Then mix in the cold heavy cream, vanilla, and pinch of salt
- Transfer half of the frosting to a separate mixing bowl and add one of the food colors and mix
- Add the other food color to the frosting that’s still in the initial mixing bowl and mix
- Use a large sheet of plastic wrap and set it on a flat surface- scoop one of the colors into it and wrap it into the shape of a thick tube
- Do the same with the other color
- Now grab a large piping bag and for it with the Ateco 869 Pastry Tube – French Star – Size 9 or Wilton No. 8B Open Star Piping Tip
- When you’re ready to frost the cupcakes snip the ends of each wrapped frosting and drop them together into your fitted piping bag
- You want the frosting to be firm but not too cold when you’re ready to frost the cupcakes. If it’s too cold it will come out in hard chunks and if it’s too warm it wont hold its shape and eventually slide off the cupcake all together
More Christmas Desserts You May Like!
- Easy Christmas Cake Ball Truffles
- Box Mix Snowflake Cupcake Recipe
- Easy Grinch Heart Cookies With White Chocolate Chips
- Easy Homemade Christmas Cake Recipe & Decoration
- 5 Tips For Making Cut Out Cookies With Box Cake Mix
Storage Tips For Easy Cake Mix Christmas Cupcakes With Decorating Idea
To store cupcakes while keeping the frosting intact, here are some tips you can follow:
Choose the right container: Use a container that is large enough to accommodate the cupcakes without squishing the frosting. Cupcake carriers with individual slots are ideal, but you can also use airtight plastic containers or cake domes.
Use proper layering: If you need to stack cupcakes, make sure to place a layer of parchment paper or wax paper between each cupcake to prevent the frosting from sticking or getting damaged.
Keep them cool: Store the cupcakes in a cool location to prevent the frosting from melting. Avoid placing them in direct sunlight or near a heat source. Keep them in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
