Christmas Tree Cupcakes Recipe 445

CHRISTMAS TREE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Spoon 1/2 cup vanilla frosting into a bowl. Spread a thin layer over the top of each cupcake with a knife. Refrigerate cupcakes for 30 minutes to make decorating easier.
• Combine remaining 2 cups of vanilla frosting and green food coloring in a bowl; stir until frosting is uniformly green. Add more green food coloring, 1 drop at a time, until your frosting is the color you like.
• Transfer frosting to a piping bag. Working perpendicular to the top of each cupcake, pipe the green frosting around the edge, working inwards in a circular motion to create a tree shape. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.
• Decorate Christmas trees with sprinkles, colored sugar, or candies as the "ornaments" on the trees.

CHRISTMAS TREE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350˚. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Whisk the flour, malted milk powder and baking soda in a medium bowl.
• Heat the milk until hot but not boiling; pour over the cocoa powder in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Let cool slightly.
• Whisk the granulated sugar, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla into the cocoa mixture until smooth. Whisk in the flour mixture until just combined.
• Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake until the tops spring back when gently pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 5 minutes in the pan, then remove the cupcakes to the rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting: Beat the butter, cream cheese and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar on medium-low speed until smooth, then increase the speed to medium high and beat until thick and fluffy, 1 to 2 more minutes.
• Spread the frosting on the cupcakes and sprinkle with white nonpareils. Stick a candy-melt tree into the center of each cupcake.