Christmas Tree Cupcakes Recipe 445

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.

CUPCAKE CHRISTMAS TREE

Steps:

• Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line the cups of 2 to 4 mini muffin tins with paper liners (you can bake the cupcakes in batches if necessary). Mix the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the eggs and milk and mix until well combined. Drizzle in the oil and the vanilla and almond extracts and mix. With the mixer running at low speed, add the boiling water and mix just until smooth. Fill the lined muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake until risen and firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pans. Frosting: In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons milk and mix until smooth. Add more milk a little at a time until the frosting is thick and spreadable. Using a flexible spatula, frost the tops of the cooled cupcakes. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before assembling the tree.
• To assemble the tree, spread a thick layer of sprinkles out on a plate. Dip the tops of the cupcakes in the sprinkles and set aside. Tie curling ribbon around the candy canes and curl with a scissor blade. One inch up from the bottom of the styrofoam cone, stick toothpicks into the cone 1 1/2 inches apart, making a circle around the cone and leaving them sticking out at least 1 inch. Place the cone on a serving platter. Make the bottom ring of cupcakes by spearing the bottom of a cupcake onto one of the toothpicks in the cone, with the frosting facing out and with the side of the cupcake resting on the plate. One inch above the tops of the first row of cupcakes, place another row of toothpicks 1 1/2 inches apart, all around the cone, positioning them so that the second row will rest between the tops of the first row. You will fit fewer cupcakes on the second row; feel free to cut a cupcake in half if necessary to fit into the space available. Spear the cupcakes onto the toothpicks as before. Continue up the cone to form a tree of cupcakes, ending with a single cupcake on top. Serve within one hour, or refrigerate up to 24 hours. Stick the candy canes in the styrofoam and stick gilded cranberries on with a little extra icing. Pour sugar on the serving platter around the tree. To gild the cranberries, roll them on the sheets of gold leaf to roughly coat.

CHRISTMAS TREE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Invert two 9 1/2-by-3-inch disposable round foil baking pans. Using a craft knife or a paring knife, cut six X shapes in bottom of each, spacing them evenly, to make 1 1/2-inch openings. Fit a waffle cone snugly into each opening, standing the cones upright. Line each cone with parchment paper, and then place a dried bean or a hazelnut in bottom to prevent batter from leaking. Place pans and cones on parchment-lined baking sheets. Line a 12-cup mini-muffin tin with paper liners.
• Whisk together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl. With a mixer on low speed, gradually add egg mixture to flour mixture, beating until just combined. Raise speed to medium, and beat for 3 minutes. Carefully pour batter into cones, filling each two-thirds full. Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons batter into each muffin cup (these will be the tree bases).
• Bake until a skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes for cupcakes and 35 minutes for cones. Let cakes cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove cakes from cones and parchment. Let cool completely on the rack.
• If necessary, use a serrated knife to trim top of each cupcake to create a flat surface. Place a dab of frosting on top of each cupcake, and position a cone cake on top. Place frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip (such as Ateco #19) and pipe frosting decoratively all over tree. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Top each tree with a mini gingerbread star, if desired. Trees can be refrigerated, uncovered, for up to 6 hours before serving.

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:

• Use a serrated knife to trim point of each cone to create a small opening; set aside. If necessary, use the serrated knife to trim top of each cupcake to create a flat surface. Place a dab of frosting on top of each cupcake, and spread to cover. Dip the top of each cupcake into coconut to cover completely.
• Mix together remaining frosting with green gel paste until desired green shade is reached. Transfer green frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a small star tip. Working with one cone at a time, pipe a bead of frosting around open end of cone and position open-end down onto a cupcake to resemble a "tree." Repeat process with remaining cupcakes and cones.
• Pipe remaining frosting decoratively all over trees until cones are completely covered. Trees can be refrigerated, uncovered, for up to 6 hours. Before serving, insert a cupcake topper into the opening of each cupcake cone, if desired.

CUPCAKE CHRISTMAS TREE

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter mix according to package directions for cupcakes; fold in chips. Fill foil-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. , Bake at 350° for 18-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and extracts until blended. Transfer 2 tablespoons to a small bowl; stir in cocoa. Stir green food coloring into remaining frosting. , Frost 21 cupcakes with green frosting; arrange in a pyramid to form a tree. Decorate all but the top cupcake with miniature kisses for lights. Frost two cupcakes with chocolate frosting and place at base of tree for trunk; top each with a chocolate star. Save remaining cupcake for another use., With a rolling pin, roll two yellow Starburst candies flat; cut with 2-in. and 1-1/2-in. star-shaped cookie cutters. Press smaller star onto larger star; place on cupcake at top of tree. , For presents, roll five Starburst candies into 3x3/4-in. rectangles; cut each rectangle into four 3-in.-long strips. Place two strips widthwise on one whole Starburst candy; press together at base to attach. , For bow, form two strips into figure eights; press together in center and press onto wrapped candy. Repeat with remaining strips and remaining four whole Starburst candies. Place presents beneath cupcake tree.

CHRISTMAS TREE MINI CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease mini muffin cups or line with paper liners.
• Mix pastry flour, white sugar, and cocoa powder together in a bowl; add water, oil, and vanilla extract and blend until batter is smooth. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes.
• Mix frosting and green food coloring together in a bowl until evenly combined. Transfer frosting to a pipe bag or plastic bag with a snipped corner; refrigerate for 5 minutes.
• Squeeze a small amount of frosting onto the hulled side of each strawberry and place each onto a cupcake so the strawberry is in the shape of a tree. Pipe frosting onto each strawberry to look like leaves. Add candies to the "tree" to look like ornaments and place a star-shaped candy on top of each "tree".

CHRISTMAS TREE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Combine all dry ingredients in mixer bowl.
• Add shortening, milk and vanilla.
• Mix for about 1 minute.
• Stop and scrape bowl.
• Add egg whites.
• Beat until smooth and fluffy.
• Fill greased and floured cupcake molds about halfway.
• Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
• Remove from oven.
• Slice rounded"humps" from cupcakes.
• Cool on wire racks.
• Frost with green frosting and decorate.