Christmas Wreath Cupcakes
Red velvet sponge, the creamiest white chocolate frosting and perfectly placed Christmas sprinkles…these cupcakes are a perfect treat for this festive season!
We’re just over ONE WEEK away from Christmas and I hope you’re looking forward to it as much as I am. It will be different this year, yes, but it can still be just as magical! And filled with sugar!
What I love about these cupcakes is how the red velvet cake and white chocolate buttercream compliment each other. A lot of people pair red velvet with cream cheese frosting, which is really tasty, but if you’re a follower of my blog, you’ll know all about my white chocolate obsession.
These cupcakes are not only fun to make, they’re fun to decorate too! I was a tad precise with my sprinkle placement, but by no means do you have to follow in my footsteps. Grab your favourite sprinkles, grab your edible glitter and go nuts! A great festive activity that’s sure to bring plenty of Christmas cheer.
INGREDIENTS
Makes 12
Cupcakes:
225g plain flour
200g caster sugar
1tbsp cocoa powder
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
75ml oil
25g softened butter
80ml buttermilk
2tbsp sour cream
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
1/3tbsp white vinegar
1tbsp red food colouring
Buttercream:
450g icing sugar
250g softened unsalted butter
50g white hot chocolate powder
100g white chocolate
1tsp vanilla extract
2-4tbsp double cream
1/2tsp green food colouring
Festive sprinkles & edible glitter to decorate
METHOD
- Preheat your oven to 170°C (340°F, gas mark 5) and place 12 cupcake cases into a muffin tin.
- Measure your sugar, butter, sour cream and oil into a large bowl and beat together for several minutes, until pale and fluffy. Crack the eggs in one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition, then add the vanilla extract.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a separate bowl and stir with a whisk. Pour the flour into the egg mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, mixing thoroughly with each addition. Add the vinegar and food colouring and beat until there are no streaks left in the batter. You can add more food colouring if you need to – feel free to use less or more.
- Scoop the cupcake batter into your prepared cases, filling to about two thirds of the way, and bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, make a start on your buttercream. Break the white chocolate into pieces, add to a heatproof bowl and melt it in the microwave for around 90 seconds, stopping to check and stir the chocolate every 15-20 seconds. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Leave the chocolate to cool.
- Cut the butter into small chunks, then mix using a stand or hand-held mixer on a medium speed for 5 minutes until it goes pale and gains some volume. You might need to stop your mixer and scrape down the bowl a couple of times.
- Sift in your icing sugar and white hot chocolate powder one or two tablespoons at a time and fold into the butter using a spatula, before switching to your mixer on a low speed to fully combine. Repeat until you’ve used all of the dry ingredients.
- Once the white chocolate has cooled to room temperature, pour it into the buttercream along with the double cream and vanilla, and mix again on a low speed until fully incorporated. Scoop around half of the buttercream into a separate bowl and colour using the green food colouring. Add to a piping bag fitted with a small shell or star nozzle and set aside for a minute.
- Use a palette knife to add a generous blob of uncoloured buttercream to the top of each cupcake and create a smooth, flat top. Take your piping bag filled with green buttercream and add small blobs in a circle around the edge of your cupcakes – these are your Christmas wreaths!
- Once you’re happy with your buttercream wreaths, decorate with your favourite sprinkles, add a touch of sparkling edible glitter and serve!
Will you be adding these to your festive baking list? Let me know in the comments!
