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Christmas Tree Cupcakes

These Christmas Tree Cupcakes are the cutest!

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ¾ cups of cake flour
  • 4 Tablespoons of cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • 1 stick of butter - softened
  • 2 cups of sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup of oil
  • 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon of white vinegar
  • 1 ⅓ cups of buttermilk
  • 1 Tablespoon of Red food coloring

For the Frosting:

  • 4 pounds of powdered sugar - extra to dust the Christmas trees
  • 2 pounds of butter - softened
  • 4 Tablespoons of cream
  • 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla
  • 40 drops of green food coloring
  • 24 Sugar cones - ice cream cones
  • 1 - # 30 Star Tip - see link
  • Pastry bag
  • Stand Mixer

Instructions
 

  • First, make the cupcakes; In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla, vinegar and buttermilk, and blend until smooth and creamy. 
  • In a separate bowl, blend the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, until well mixed. 
  • Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, a little at a time, blending between additions, until all the flour mixture has been added. 
  • Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl, and blend until smooth. 
  • Add the Red food coloring, and mix until all the batter is the same dark red color.  
  • Line 1 - 24 count, or 2 - 12 count muffin tins with cupcake liners, and fill the liners about ¾ full with the cupcake batter.
  • Place cupcakes in the oven, and bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
  • When cupcakes are done, remove from oven to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting:  In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, place the softened butter, and blend until smooth. 
  • Add 1 Tablespoon of cream, and the vanilla, and mix until creamy. 
  • Add the powdered sugar about a cup at a time until all the powdered sugar has been added, alternating with a few drops of cream between additions. 
  • When all the powdered sugar has been added, stop the mixer, and scrape down the sides of the bowl, and blend again until smooth and creamy. 
  • If the frosting seems too thick, add a few drops of cream until desired consistency is reached.  If it's too thin, add a little more powdered sugar until desired thickness is achieved. 
  • Place half of the frosting in a separate bowl and add the green food coloring to the frosting left in the mixing bowl, and blend until the frosting is all the same green color.
  • Place both bowls of frosting in the refrigerator, and chill until cupcakes are completely cool.
  • When cupcakes are completely cooled, remove the white Frosting from the refrigerator, and Frost the tops of the cupcakes with a spatula. 
  • You don't have to worry about frosting the cupcakes perfectly with the White Frosting because it should resemble Snow, so if it's not the same on each cupcake, that's okay.
  • You can sprinkle the white frosting with some Christmas Nonpareils if you want too, or you can leave them with the white frosting. (We thought they looked really cute with the Nonpareils, so we sprinkled them) 
  • When all the cupcakes have been frosted with the white frosting, set aside. 
  • Frost the sugar cones with the Green frosting, using a spatula, just smear it on the cones, from the tip to the top, and then stick the cone down in one of the cupcakes, and repeat until all the cones are frosted and stuck down in the white frosting. 
  • Place the rest of the green frosting in a pastry bag, using the #30 star tip (see link), and pipe little stars all over the sugar cones, from bottom to top. 
  • Once all the cones have been frosted with the stars, sprinkle powdered sugar over the tops of the cupcakes, and all over the green Christmas Tree cones. 
  • Allow Frosting to set on the cones.  Serve, and Enjoy!  
  • If not serving right away, refrigerate for best results.

Notes

NOTE:  You can also place Christmas Candies in the Cones before you place them on the cupcakes for an extra surprise.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!