Want some help with your holiday baking this year? Show these Simple Santa Cupcakes to your kids, and they will be begging to make them with you. Christmas baking doesn’t get much simpler than this. No decorating experience, no problem! These cupcakes are so easy, even the smallest of children can help make them.
Simple Santa Cupcakes
You’ll need a boxed cake mix and the ingredients listed on the box to make cupcakes (I like to use white cake mix, but any flavor will work), butter, milk, vanilla, powdered sugar, mini chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, red hots, and red sparkling sugar.
Prepare cupcakes following the directions on your boxed cake mix. Set aside and allow to cool. I used some red striped cupcake liners, but I wish I had seen the Santa Suit Treat Wraps below first! They are perfect for these cupcakes!
Now for the frosting! You can purchase ready to spread frosting or make your own. To make the frosting, cream butter in a medium bowl. Next, slowly add in the powdered sugar and milk. Continue mixing until everything is incorporated. Transfer frosting into a piping bag or zippered plastic bag and clip corner to pipe. Frost each cupcake.
Now for the fun part! Use a knife or small spatula to mark the upper third of the cupcake. Sprinkle red sparkling sugar above that mark to make a hat as you hold the spatula in place to avoid getting the sprinkles on Santa’s face.
Cut each mini marshmallow in half (kitchen scissors work great for this!) and gather those toppings!
Arrange mini marshmallows to make a fur band around the hat, add a ball on the end of the hat, and make Santa’s beard. Use a Red Hot for Santa’s nose and two upside-down mini chocolate chips for his eyes.
Isn’t he the most adorable Santa you’ve ever seen?
- 1 box Cake Mix (and ingredients listed on the box)
- ½ cup Butter, softened
- 1 Tbsp Milk
- ½ tsp Vanilla
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 48 Mini Chocolate Chips
- 10 oz bag Mini Marshmallows
- 24 Red Candy Decorations (like Red Hots)
- Red Sparkling Sugar
- Line muffin pan with paper liners.
- Mix and bake cupcakes according to box directions.
- Transfer to wire racks to cool.
- Cream butter in a medium bowl.
- Slowly add in the powdered sugar and milk. Continue mixing until everything is incorporated.
- Transfer to piping bag or zippered plastic bag and clip corner to pipe.
- Frost each cupcake.
- Use a knife or small spatula to mark the upper third of the cupcake. Sprinkle red sparkling sugar above that mark to make a hat as you hold the spatula in place to avoid getting the sprinkles on Santa's face.
- Cut each mini marshmallow in half. Kitchen scissors work great for this.
- Place mini marshmallows to make a fur band around the hat, add a ball on the end of the hat, and make Santa's beard.
- Use a Red Hot for Santa's nose and two upside-down mini chocolate chips for his eyes.
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For the Sparkling Snowman cupcakes, it is the aame icing recipe but doubled. Does one of the recipes have an error? They both ice 24 cupcakes so I don’t see why you would need double the icing. Thanks!