Indulge in the holiday spirit with these Christmas Wreath Cupcakes! These moist vanilla cupcakes are topped with festive buttercream frosting and are beautifully crafted to resemble a Christmas wreath!
I am an ANIMAL for all things Christmas. I start celebrating in September, and there is truly no better way to celebrate than by whipping up some cute holiday treats. Check out my entire Christmas section on the blog.
I love these Reindeer Cupcakes for a rich and chocolatey take on Rudolph, these No-Chill Gingerbread Cookies for a quick and simple classic, and these Grinch Cookies to honor our dear old friend, the Grinch!
Why You'll LOVE This Recipe
Customizable: Not only can you can choose from a wide variety of cupcake flavors for a base if you aren't a fan of the chocolate chip cupcakes, but you can decorate them with different sprinkles or toppings that suit your style!
Fun to Make: Making and decorating these cupcakes is an exciting activity that allows for creativity, so they are an awesome holiday baking project for both kids and adults.
Perfect for Sharing: Cupcakes are ideal for sharing, making them perfect for holiday gatherings, office parties, or gifting to loved ones!
Ingredients
- Granulated Sugar: White granulated sugar adds to moisture, sweetness, and structure.
- Egg: You'll need one large egg at room temperature. If you forget to leave it out ahead of time, place it in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes before using.
- Vegetable Oil: These cupcakes are made with oil for a super moist cupcake that stays moist. You can use any unflavored oil.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is the star of this recipe and ensures that these cupcakes are light and tender! You can make homemade buttermilk. Read "Expert Tips" below for more information.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract enhances flavor.
- All Purpose Flour: Regular, plain all purpose flour that is measured properly creates light and fluffy cupcakes.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Both of these leavening agents work together to create the gorgeous dome shape and airy texture.
- Salt: Salt enhances sweetness!
- Mini Chocolate Chips: Though you can totally just make vanilla cupcakes by leaving these out, I love the extra kick of flavor that mini chocolate chips provide!
Step by Step Process
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 12-count muffin with liners.
STEP 2: In a large bowl, granulated sugar, a room temperature egg, vegetable oil, room temperature buttermilk, and vanilla extract together until smooth.
STEP 3: Next, add properly-measured all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together only until you see the dry ingredients disappear into the batter. Do not mix past when you see the ingredients combine to avoid dense cupcakes.
STEP 5: Then, divide the batter between the liners, adding about ¼-⅓ cup of batter to each liner.
STEP 6: Bake the cupcakes for 16-19 minutes or until the tops are light pale in color, shiny, and spring back when poked with your pointer finger. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with some moist crumbs.
Decorating
STEP 1: Create the base for the wreath by spreading the white frosting on top of each cupcake.
STEP 2: Use the green piping bag or makeshift bag to pipe around the edge of the cupcake.
STEP 3: Use the red frosting to create two horizontal ovals that overlap in the center to create the bow. Then, use the red frosting to pipe the curls of the bow before piping a circle in the center where the two ovals and two curls all meet.
STEP 4: Top the wreath with as desired with additional sprinkles or frosting for an even more festive look!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can use whatever cupcake base you'd like. Some examples are these chocolate cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes, or even a store-bought mix if that's what works for you!
Though this wreath will truly work with tons of different piping tips for different styles, I use a Wilton 70 for a classic leaf look.
No! You do not need a traditional piping bag for these cupcakes. You can simply make a makeshift, homemade bag by filling frosting into one corner of a zippable plastic bag and snipping off the tip.
Expert Tips
- Ensure that you end up with moist cupcakes by measuring flour using a kitchen scale or by spooning flour into your measuring cups before sweeping a knife across the top to level it.
- Make sure not to overmix when adding the dry ingredients into the wet, and only bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs since overbaking leads to dry cake.
- Make homemade buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or distilled white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Then, fill it to reach the 1 ¼ cup (300g) mark. Mix the two together, then let it sit for 5 minutes before using as buttermilk.
- Use food gel instead of liquid food coloring for a deeper color using less dye. I use this Super Red and this Leaf Green.
Storing
- To store cupcakes: Whether frosted or unfrosted, you can store these cupcakes tightly covered, in an airtight container, or individually wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- To freeze unfrosted cupcakes: Individually wrap each cupcake in plastic wrap. Place each wrapped cupcake in a ziplock bag or freezer container. Store in the freezer for up to 4 months.
- To freeze frosted cupcakes: Place the uncovered cupcakes in the freezer for 20 minutes. Then, individually wrap each cupcake in plastic wrap before placing them in a ziplock bag or freezer container. Store in the freezer for up to 4 months.
- To thaw the cupcakes: Thaw the frosted cupcakes by letting them thaw slowly in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a couple of hours if you're in a hurry.
Related Recipes
Print
Christmas Wreath Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes, Christmas
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Indulge in the holiday spirit with these Christmas Wreath Cupcakes! These moist vanilla cupcakes are topped with festive buttercream frosting and are beautifully crafted to resemble a Christmas wreath!
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- ¾ cup (158g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (66g) vegetable oil
- 1 ¼ cup (300g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (210g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (180g) mini chocolate chips
For the Frosting + Decoration
- 1 cup (220g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (300g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30g) heavy cream
- red and green food dye
- optional: Christmas sprinkles
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a mini muffin tray with liners.
- In a large bowl, granulated sugar, a room temperature egg, vegetable oil, room temperature buttermilk, and vanilla extract together until smooth.
- Next, add properly-measured all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together only until you see the dry ingredients disappear into the batter. Do not mix past when you see the ingredients combine to avoid dense cupcakes.
- Fold in mini chocolate chips if desired until evenly dispersed.
- Then, divide the batter between the liners, adding about ¼-⅓ cup of batter to each liner or until they are about ¾ full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 16-19 minutes or until the tops are light pale in color, shiny, and spring back when poked with your pointer finger. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with some moist crumbs.
For the Frosting and Decoration
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar together until smooth. This should be about 2 minutes of mixing.
- Add heavy cream and beat on high speed for about 3-5 minutes. This will create air in the frosting, resulting in a smooth, bright, white, and fluffy frosting.
- Remove about ⅓ of the frosting and dye it using the green food dye. Transfer the green frosting to a piping bag fitted with a tip of your choice (I used a Wilton 70), or transfer it to a zippable plastic bag with the corner snipped off to make a makeshift piping bag.
- Remove about 3-4 tablespoons of frosting and dye it using the red food dye. Transfer the red frosting to a piping bag fitted with a round tip or cut the end off, or transfer the frosting to a plastic zippable bag with the corner snipped off to make a makeshift piping bag.
- Create the base for the wreath by spreading the white frosting on top of each cupcake.
- Use the green piping bag or makeshift bag to pipe around the edge of the cupcake.
- Use the red frosting to create two horizontal ovals that overlap in the center to create the bow. Then, use the red frosting to pipe the curls of the bow before piping a circle in the center where the two ovals and two curls all meet.
- Top the wreath as desired with additional sprinkles or frosting for an even more festive look!
- Store the cupcakes tightly covered or in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Notes
Food Coloring: Use food gel instead of food coloring for a deeper color using less dye. I use this Super Red and this Leaf Green.
To freeze frosted cupcakes: Place the uncovered cupcakes in the freezer for 20 minutes. Then, individually wrap each cupcake in plastic wrap before placing them in a ziplock bag or freezer container. Store in the freezer for up to 4 months.
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