Christmas is when you forget daily life’s tensions and enjoy one day. This celebration used to last for several days because we would enjoy Christmas parties at school afterward.
So today, gathering all those memories, why not share with you the recipe for Santa Cupcakes that would remind you of your childhood?
I remember when I was a child, I used to wait for Santa, and my mom would make these cupcakes for me and say that he had sent the cupcakes in advance.
Contents
How to Make Santa Cupcake: Easy And Simple Steps
I will teach you how to make Santa cupcakes in easy steps. I will cover each process in detail; I hope this will be easy for you to understand.
Dry Ingredients
Before we start with the cake batter, we need the dry ingredients, which I will mention step by step below with the quantities. You need to add them to the bowl of your stand mixer.
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cups of granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
And lastly, remember the cocoa powder for deep colouring, which is 1/3 cup of high-quality cocoa powder. Make sure to sift these well to eliminate any lumps.
Wet Ingredients
Now, next, it is time to combine wet ingredients. A quick reminder: the butter flavour does not stand out when making a chocolate cake, so most recipes, including the one below, use oil. It helps keep the cake moist and makes the texture tender.
In a separate bowl, combine the following:
- 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup of buttermilk (If you don’t have buttermilk, a simple trick is to add a squeeze of lemon juice to regular milk, which will curdle nicely).
- Add a little vanilla extract for flavor
- 2 medium eggs, which will give that rich, golden color & texture
- 1/4 cup of sour cream to add even more moisture and tenderness to the cake
Whisk everything before proceeding with the next step or adding the next ingredient. It would be best to combine it properly to allow the eggs to be well beaten and not to scramble with the hot coffee, which you will add later.
It is time to pour your hot coffee into your wet list of ingredients in a few seconds. Mixing each component with materials at the right temperature ensures that the cake batters bake evenly and within the shortest time.
Also, do not use cold ingredients because they will result in an uneven bake, even the middle part of the cake.
Well, that was the prep for the wet ingredients—how easy was that? Now, you’re ready to combine the ingredients in a bowl to obtain the velvety batter for the cookies.
Adding Coffee
Now, the tastiest step is to add coffee. Well, I use espresso coffee. If you don’t like coffee, you can skip this step and use warm water or milk instead. But trust me, if you add coffee, the taste will completely change and become double-tasty. If you have a caffeine issue or are it for children, you can use decaf instead.
Mix Batter
Slowly add your wet ingredients to the dry ingredients with the mixer on medium-low (about level two). Run the mixer for approximately one minute. Remember to stop halfway & scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
As the batter combines, the smell is fantastic. You won’t believe how good this cake already smells. Trust me, you’ll want to make this one. Keep mixing until the batter is smooth & well blended.
Bake the Cupcakes
I have 2 different baking sheet liners, and I always get confused about which one to use. However, when I first tried making Santa cupcakes, I used the red and golden ones.
I used an ice cream scoop to ensure each cupcake gets the same batter. It’s honestly the cleanest way to do this, especially when your batter is so liquidy.
After filling the liners, it’s time to bake the first batch. I preheat the oven to 350°F and set the timer for 20 to 30 minutes. To make sure they are done, check the centre of the cupcakes. Finding the right baking time is essential—keep an eye on them, and you’ll have tasty, fluffy cupcakes quickly!
How To Make Buttercream Frosting For Santa Cupcakes
Making the Buttercream
Let’s prepare an American buttercream for the Santa decorations while the cupcakes bake. You could use Italian buttercream, but American buttercream is easier to use, and it is best suited for decorating, as it does not melt easily, and for me, it’s suitable.
Start with:
- Unsalted butter, one pound, room temperature
That is four sticks for us in America.
In a stand mixer, start the paddle attachment and mix the butter until it turns smooth & creamy.
After that, mix the buttercream at low speed, and remember to add some vanilla for the taste. Keep on straining and folding the buttercream until it reaches a thick and glossy consistency.
Adjusting the Consistency
If your buttercream is too weak, just add a bit more powdered sugar to the mixture to make it strong. Ideally, it should be stiff enough not to slump but still soft enough to pipe in a decorative way.
After achieving the right consistency of your buttercream frosting, you are ready to pipe your American buttercream!
How to Decorate Santa Cupcakes
When the buttercream is done, it is time to portion it into several portions to give it that dainty look of Santa Claus.
- A little bit of white for his fur and greatcoat and beardkili
- Just a little touch of peachy colour for Santa’s face.
- A little bit of red for his iconic hat
- Creating Santa’s Face and Hat
First, take a small spatula or knife and apply the flesh-colored buttercream to the face of Santa. Just run your fingers through it, and don’t try to fix it up too much. Just make it as neat as you can.
Next, using the remaining red buttercream, spread it on the Santa hat. I apply a little at the beginning and then go over the rest area, putting one more scoop at the end to overhang the cap.
Piping Santa’s Details
I always use a star nozzle size to make the pompom at the end of the hat. Wind a slight twist around the pompom so the pompom will have a texture. For the brim of his hat, apply the same star tip and white buttercream but sweepingly to achieve that fluffy look.
Adding Eyes and Nose
For the eyes of Santa, put two mini chocolate chips in the reversed position. That is something like this! The size and shape are exactly what I need! Next, take the same star tip and apply Santa’s fluffy beard in circular motions, so as to give it that distinctive, woolly appearance.
To top it off, place a round red M&M with no third scoop, which has to be placed upside down on the cupcake for Santa’s nose.
Optional Sparkle
If you want to make your Santa cupcakes a tad more whimsical, you can use sanding sugar on the white sections of the hat. I’m not sure if people will actually do it, but I believe decorating is a good idea as it makes the commemoration look more festive.
Must Try It!
These were some of the easiest cupcakes I have ever baked—so simple it would qualify as the best Christmas Santa cupcakes recipe ever!
Regarding flavor, I love the balance: a good measure of moist cupcake is enough to add just the right dome of frosting. Still, I have been the kind of person who believes that more cake and less icing is always the best.
I hope you get the chance to make these yummy festive treats.I hope you enjoyed the blog.