Name: Santa hat and bauble cupcakes
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 24 (12 of each)
Ingredients: 250g unsalted butter, chopped; 150g white chocolate, chopped; 2 cups caster sugar; 1 cup milk; 11/2 cups plain flour, sifted; 1/2 cup self-raising flour, sifted; 1/4 tsp table salt; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 2 free-range eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten; Santa hat; 500g cream cheese, softened; 150g unsalted butter, softened; 3 cups icing sugar mixture, sifted; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 2 tsp milk; Red food colouring gel; Baubles; 30g white chocolate, melted; 375g unsalted butter, softened; 2 cups icing sugar mixture, sifted; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 2 cups mixed gold and silver sprinkles; 2 cups mixed red, pink and white sprinkles

Everybody loves receiving sweet treats for Christmas and these santa hat and bauble cupcakes are sure to be a hit!

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter, chopped

150g white chocolate, chopped

2 cups caster sugar

1 cup milk

11/2 cups plain flour, sifted

1/2 cup self-raising flour, sifted

1/4 tsp table salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 free-range eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten

Santa hat

500g cream cheese, softened

150g unsalted butter, softened

3 cups icing sugar mixture, sifted

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp milk

Red food colouring gel

Baubles

30g white chocolate, melted

375g unsalted butter, softened

2 cups icing sugar mixture, sifted

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups mixed gold and silver sprinkles

2 cups mixed red, pink and white sprinkles

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 160°C/140°C fan-forced. Line two 12-hole, 1/3-cup (80ml) muffin pans with paper cases.

Step 2

Heat butter, chocolate, sugar and milk in a medium saucepan on COOK’S TIP You can use any dried fruit or nuts you prefer, just substitute with the same amounts. low heat for 10 minutes, stirring, until melted and smooth. Pour into a large bowl and set aside to cool slightly.

Step 3

Add flours, salt, vanilla and eggs and whisk to combine. Divide evenly among prepared pans, filling each hole halfway full. Bake 30–35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into a cupcake. Cool completely.

Step 4

For santa hats, place cream cheese and butter in bowl of electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add icing sugar, vanilla and milk. Beat another 6 minutes, until fluffy. Reserve 1/2 cup icing. Mix in red food colouring gel to remainder.

Step 5

Spoon red icing into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm round nozzle. Spoon white icing into a piping bag fitted with a 5mm star nozzle.

Step 6

Pipe swirls of red icing onto 12 cupcakes leaving 1cm around the edge. Pipe small stars of white icing around edge and pipe a star on top for a pompom. Refrigerate until set.

Step 7

For baubles, place chocolate in a piping bag fitted with a 3mm nozzle (or place in a ziplock bag and snip a small hole across one corner). Place a sheet of baking paper on a tray. Pipe 12 ring shapes on tray, each 2cm wide. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Step 8

Beat butter in bowl of an electric mixer for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add icing sugar and vanilla, beat another 6 minutes, or until fluffy. Reserve 1/4 cup of icing. Using a 7cm ice-cream scoop, scoop icing onto cupcakes, pressing down securely to create a round dome. If you don’t have a large enough ice-cream scoop, simply spoon on the icing and smooth over to form a round. Place gold mix and red mix sprinkles into separate bowls. Roll six cupcakes into gold sprinkles and the remaining six in red mix sprinkles.

Step 9

Place reserved icing in a piping bag fitted with a 1cm round nozzle. Pipe a small round of icing on the side of each cupcake. Insert a white chocolate ring in each and refrigerate until set. Tie ribbon onto bauble ring.

Cook’s tip

Food colouring gel is easier to use for colouring as you add less liquid to get the right shade of red.

What is the secret to moist cupcakes?

The trick to moist cupcakes is ensuring you don’t overmix the batter. You want air bubbles in it as that is what expands in the oven. Mix at a lower speed to prevent heavy, dense cupcakes.

How do you ice Christmas cupcakes?

To ice the cupcakes, put the icing into an icing bag and pipe it on top for the santa hat. Similarly, for the bauble use an ice cream scoop. For more detail, see the recipe method.

Sarah Murphy

Sarah began her career in the Australian food media industry 14 years ago. She is now the Food Editor for Better Homes and Gardens, Woman’s Day and Take 5 and loves creating clever and achievable recipes for readers (that will still impress too!)

Jessica Brook