Christmas Tree Chocolate Cupcakes
These festive cupcakes make great centerpieces and whimsical desserts. They have a chocolate cake base that can be homemade or from a cake mix and a waffle cone decorated with buttercream. It's not hard to make or assemble, and the components can be prepared beforehand.
Servings 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate cupcakes:
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup boiling water
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar light or dark
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla buttercream:
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter at room temperature
- 4 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 to 4 tablespoons heavy or whipping cream if needed
- few drops green gel food coloring
To assemble:
- 12 waffle ice cream cones
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for dusting
- red candies
- edible Christmas decorations
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180°C). Line 12 muffin or cupcake cups with white paper liners. Depending on your pan and how much you fill them, you might get more cupcakes out of one recipe.
- Put ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Add ½ cup boiling water and whisk until a smooth paste forms. Whisk in 1 cup buttermilk until combined. Reserve this chocolate custard.
- Sift 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter with 1 cup white sugar and ½ cup brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Use an electric mixer or stand mixer.
- Beat in 2 large eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and stir to combine.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients in 2 or 3 batches alternating with the cocoa mixture. Always start and end with the flour mixture. Beat on low speed just until incorporated. Don’t overmix so the cupcakes are soft and tender.
- Scoop or spoon batter into the lined muffin cups, filling them no more than ¾ of their capacity.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. The cupcakes should be springy to the touch and the top dry. Let the pan cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack and then remove the cupcakes carefully and place on the same wire rack to cool completely.
For the buttercream:
- In a stand mixer, beat softened 1 ½ cups unsalted butter until creamy.
- Sift in 4 ½ cups powdered sugar and mix on low speed until fully combined and smooth. If the buttercream is too thick, add 2 to 4 tablespoons heavy or whipping cream, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency. It needs to be thick in order to be piped and hold well afterward.
- Add a few drops green gel food coloring and mix until the color is evenly distributed.
To assemble:
- The closer to serving time, the better. Cover each of 12 waffle ice cream cones with a thin layer of green buttercream, ensuring it's fully coated.
- Gently press a coated sugar cone onto each cupcake, making sure it's secure. You can spread a thin layer of buttercream on the bottom rim of each cone so it adheres better.
- Using a piping bag fitted with a small star tip, pipe the remaining buttercream onto each cone to create the appearance of tree branches.
- Lightly dust with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (use a small sifter or tea colander) to mimic snow and press red candies and edible Christmas decorations to create a festive tree.
Notes
Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use an oven thermometer to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend tracking how your oven works and what tiny details you need to adjust.
Quick cupcakes: use a store-bought cake mix instead of homemade. It can be chocolate, yellow or white.
Mint buttercream: add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract to the frosting.
Yield: I get 12 cupcakes, but in case you have leftover batter (it can happen), you can have more cones and make more tree cupcakes, or bake the remaining batter in small loaf pans or muffin cups and eat the cakes on their own.
