Christmas Cupcakes
This homemade vanilla cupcake recipe is topped with a swirl of red and green frosting making these Christmas Cupcakes a festive way to celebrate the holidays.
Servings 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract - or peppermint extract for extra holiday flavor
- 1- 2 tbsp heavy cream or milk
- red and green gel food coloring
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease 12 muffin tins or line with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking powder.
- In another bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until no large lumps remain– you don’t want to over-mix or you’ll end up with dense cupcakes.
- Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake wells, filling each one about ¾ of the way full.
- Bake for 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes from the pan and allow them to cool on a wire rack and completely before frosting.
Buttercream Frosting
- Add the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until it is smooth and creamy– about 1 minute.
- Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioner's sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary to make sure all of the sugar gets incorporated.
- Turn the mixer to medium high speed and beat until the buttercream becomes light and fluffy– about 2 minutes.
- Divide the frosting in thirds and place one-third of the icing in a small bowl - set aside. This will be the white.
- Place another third of the frosting in a small bowl and add several drops of red food coloring. Mix until the color is disbursed throughout and you have achieved the desired shade of red. Set aside.
- Add several drops of green food coloring to the last third of frosting and mix to combine.
- Transfer all three colors of the icing to a piping bag fitted with a star tip - making sure to use a thin spatula and fill the frosting in stripes or sections inside the bag to make the 3 colors.
- Swirl the frosting on top of the cupcakes - this should come out with all three colors swirled together.
- Add shimmer dust and/or sprinkles if desired.
- Enjoy the cupcakes immediately or store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.