Mini Christmas Cupcakes Recipes

MINI VANILLA CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 18-cup mini muffin tin or line with cupcake liners.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
• Whip butter and sugar in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and milk; whip until just combined. Fill the prepared muffin cups 3/4 full with batter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 10 to 14 minutes. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whip powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla for frosting in a bowl until well combined. Frost cooled cupcakes.

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".

MINI CHRISTMAS CAKES

Steps:

• Combine currants, raisins, sultana raisins, and candied cherries in a plastic container with a lid. Pour brandy over dried fruit; stir in orange and lemon zest. Close container and set aside to soak for 2 to 3 days. Stir or shake container every few hours as you remember.
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with 24 cupcake cases or lightly grease 24 ramekins.
• Combine 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Add eggs and molasses and beat well. Stir in all-purpose flour, self-rising flour, almonds, and mixed spice until well combined. Fold in almonds and soaked fruit; mix well. Spoon mixture into the prepared cases or ramekins.
• Bake in the preheated oven on the center rack until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cake comes out clean, about 90 minutes. Allow to cool in their cases.
• Store in airtight tins or wrap them tightly in greaseproof paper and aluminum foil for at least 10 days before decorating.
• Heat jam in the microwave for 10 seconds until warmed and brush onto each cake.
• Roll out marzipan between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Cut out circles with a round cookie cutter or a glass with the same diameter as the cakes. Arrange marzipan circles on top of the jam on each mini fruitcake. Store fruitcakes in an airtight container before finishing the final decoration, 8 hours to overnight.
• Roll out white fondant between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and cut out circles with the same diameter as the cakes. Press a cookie stencil with a snowflake pattern onto the fondant circles. Color in the snowflake pattern with blue food coloring using a small brush and place on top of the marzipan layer. Repeat with remaining cakes.

MINIATURE CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKES

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine molasses and water; add raisins. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in candied fruit and vanilla. Cool., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add 1 eggs at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking soda and spices; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Add fruit mixture, mixing well. Fold in nuts., Fill paper-lined miniature muffin cups almost full. Bake at 325° for 22-24 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. Store in airtight containers.

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.