Santa Hat Cupcakes are my Favorite Christmas cupcake! These Santa cupcakes are made with homemade cupcakes and homemade frosting, but you can use any flavor cupcake and any white frosting flavor (just color your frosting red). When you make these cupcakes, you will have the most beautiful Christmas cupcakes ever!
Santa Hat Cupcakes
It’s being to look a lot like Christmas in the kitchen! This fun Santa hat cupcake is one that the kids are going to LOVE! These Santa hat cupcakes look like they took forever to make and have a lot of skill, but they are so easy to make. Christmas cupcakes are one of the easiest treats to bring when you are going to a holiday party, cupcakes are individual cakes that make sharing so much easier than a cake.
Everyone will love these Santa Hat Cupcakes not only because they are adorable but because they are made with homemade cupcakes and homemade frosting.
Easy Christmas Recipes
What Cupcakes Should you use when making this recipe?
When making Santa Hat cupcakes you are going to want to use your favorite cupcake flavors. Depending on my mood depends on what I use, but I normally use chocolate chip cupcakes, strawberry cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes, or Bakery Style Vanilla Cupcakes. If you have a boxed cake mix you were wanting to use, try this awesome way to make a boxed cake mix taste homemade… it really gives you an amazing cupcake or cake!
What is the Best frosting to use?
For the frosting, you want to use a frosting that you can color red. I like to use Marshmallow Buttercream, cream cheese frosting, almond buttercream, or my favorite The best Vanilla Buttercream Recipe. Again which one you use depends on the mood you are in flavor wise.
You are going to want to make a cupcake frosting swirl, if you have never made a cupcake frosting swirl it is super easy to do! Check out the step by step directions for How to make a cupcake Frosting Swirl.
Tips for Making Cupcakes
Follow the recipe. Each cupcake recipe is different. It is important to follow the recipe as directed. all of our cupcake recipes have been tested multiple times to make sure they are perfect.
Bring ingredients to room temperature. Cupcakes will bake best when the ingredients are brought to room temperature before mixing the cupcake batter.
Fill the cupcake liners appropriately. You do not want to over fill the cupcake liners. Follow the directions for the specific cupcake recipe, if the recipe doesn’t tell you how full stick to the 2/3 full rule. Which is roughly 3 tablespoons of cupcake batter per cupcake liner.
Use the best kitchen tool for filling liners. If you are working with a thick cupcake batter then you want to use a spoon or a cookie scoop to fill the cupcake liners. If it is a thin cupcake batter then use a bowl with a spout or a glass measuring cup to pour in the batter.
Do not over mix. Over mixing the batter will lead to having tough and flat cupcakes. When making cupcakes you have to be careful that you don’t over mix the batter when you are folding in the flour mixture. If you over-mix your angel food cake batter your cupcakes will turn out flat. You want to mix everything just until mixed, over mixing will cause you to have rough and tough cupcakes. We all know that the best cupcake are light and fluffy.
Bake one tray at a time. Using the center of the oven rack and bake one tray of cupcakes at a time. This will give you the best cupcake results.
Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting. If you frost cupcakes while they are still warm then the frosting will melt.
How to tell when cupcakes are done baking
I like to use the toothpick test when I am making cupcakes with the kids because it is easier for them to see and learn. But if you have been making cupcakes for a while you may not want to use that method.
If you are wanting an even easier method, the cupcake bounce done method as we call it is even easier. Pull the tray of cupcakes out from the oven and lightly press on a cupcake in the middle of the baking pan. If it bounces right back and no finger print is left behind then your cupcakes are done. If there is a finger print you need to bake them for a few more minutes.
How to Store Cupcakes
It is best to store cupcakes in an airtight container on the counter. Cupcakes are best to be enjoyed within 48 hours of making them. They won’t be bad to eat after 40 hours but they will start to dry out and not be as fresh.
After frosting cupcakes, you are ok to store them on the counter for a day or 2 but after that, they should be stored in the fridge.
If you are storing them unfrosted you can store them in an airtight container or a plastic bag. If you are storing them with frosting on top I suggest using a cupcake storage container.
How to transport cupcakes
Bring these Santa Hat Cupcakes to any party you are going to and everyone will love them! I find transporting them is easiest when I use a covered Cupcake Carrier.
Santa Hat Cupcake Supplies
- Large round pastry tip
- Star pastry tip
- 2 Pastry Bags
- White buttercream icing
- Red buttercream icing
- Cupcakes recipe
How to Make Santa Hat Cupcakes
First, make a batch of your cupcakes and let them cool completely. You can pick whatever flavor for the cupcakes that you want.
Next make a double batch of frosting. Pick from Marshmallow Buttercream, cream cheese frosting or favorite Vanilla Buttercream Recipe.
Split your frosting into 2 bowls once it is finished being made, putting 70% of the frosting in one bowl and 30% of the frosting in another.
Take the larger amount of frosting and color it red using food coloring. You can use either gel or liquid food coloring, whichever you prefer. I prefer the gel but it is all personal preference. Add food coloring and mix until you get a deep red color that is the same color as Santa’s hat.
Place your large round pastry tip in one pastry bag and fill it with the red buttercream. Using the pastry bag pipe a frosting swirl on top of your cupcake. Pipe a red frosting swirl on all cupcakes until they are all topped with red frosting, refilling the pastry bag as needed with your bowl of red frosting.
Get your second pastry bag and place your star pastry tip in your pastry bag and fill it with the white frosting. Holding the pastry tip against the bottom of the red frosting press lightly on the pastry bag to pipe a small star of frosting.
Continue around the base of the red frosting until the bottom is covered. Do this for each cupcake.
Then using the white frosting and the star tip piping bag make a star at the top of the red frosting swirl to put a star on Santa’s hat.
Easy Christmas Recipes
- Christmass Tree veggie platter
- Snowman Veggie platter
- Christmas Tree cupcakes
- Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree
- Christmas Tree Marshmallow Pop
- Christmas Tree brownies
Cupcake Supplies
Make delicious and fun cupcakes with these must-haves for perfect cupcakes every time!
Santa Hat Cupcakes
Ingredients
Vanilla Buttercream Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter
- 1 cup Shortening
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 pounds Confectioners sugar
- 1.5 tablespoons hot water
Vanilla Cupcake Ingredients
- 1.5 cups self-rising flour
- 1 1/4 cups cake flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs eggs
Cupcake Ingredients
- Red Food Coloring
Recipe Video
Instructions
Vanilla Buttercream directions
- In your mixer’s bowl mix butter and shortening.
- Once mixed add in the vanilla extract
- Then add in the confectioners sugar and mix it little bit little until the sugar is incorporated into the butter/shortening mixture.
- Add water and mix until everything is fully incorporated and your buttercream is nice and fluffy.
Cupcake Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line your cupcake pans with your choose of cupcake wrappers.
- Place your self-rising flour, cake flour, and sugar in the bowl of your mixer. Mix them together for a minute or two until they are well combined.
- Cut your butter into tablespoon pieces. Slowly add your butter into the flour mixture one piece at a time continue mixing until you have reached the texture of sand.
- Pour half of your milk into the flour mixture and mix just until the milk is incorporated. Use your rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of your bowl. Add your remaining milk and the vanilla to your batter and mix until combined.
- Slowly add in one egg at a time to the cake batter, making sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next egg.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake pan, filling them 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake for 10 minutes then rotate the cake pans so the pan that was on the top rack is now on the bottom and the pan that was on the bottom is now on the top rack. Continue to bake for another 10-13 minute until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cupcake.
- Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack until they have reached room temperature.
Santa hat Cupcakes Directions
- First make a batch of your cupcakes and let them cool completely. You can pick whatever flavor for the cupcakes that you want to.
- Next make a double batch of frosting. Pick from Marshmallow Buttercream, cream cheese frosting or favorite Vanilla Buttercream Recipe.
- Split your frosting into 2 bowls once it is finished being made, putting 70% of the frosting in one bowl and 30% of the frosting in another.
- Take the larger amount of frosting and color it red using food coloring. You can use either gel or liquid food coloring, whichever you prefer. I prefer the gel but it is all personal preference. Add food coloring and mix until you get a deep red color that is the same color as Santa’s hat.
- Place your large round pastry tip in one pastry bag and fill it with the red buttercream. Using the pastry bag pipe a frosting swirl on top of your cupcake. Pipe a red frosting swirl on all cupcakes until they are all topped with red frosting, refilling the pastry bag as needed with your bowl of red frosting.
- Get your second pastry bag and place your star pastry tip in your pastry bag and fill it with the white frosting. Holding the pastry tip against the bottom of the red frosting press lightly on the pastry bag to pipe a small star of frosting. Continue around the base of the red frosting until the bottom is covered. Do this for each cupcake.
- Then using the white frosting and the star tip piping bag make a star at the top of the red frosting swirl to put a star on Santa’s hat.
Nutrition
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Does Elf on the Shelf come to visit your house? If so make sure you check out these awesome Elf on the Shelf Ideas!
We have LOTS of elf on the shelf ideas too so make sure you check them out!
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Elf on the Shelf Letter – Perfect Elf on the shelf printable letter that you can print out and have your elf on the shelf bring with him or her when he comes to visit! Plus this Elf on the Shelf Rules printable is awesome to print out and hang on the wall for the kids!
You should also check out these 135 elf on the shelf ideas! There are over 135 Elf on the shelf Ideas that kids will love! If you are running short on time, then make sure you check out this list of Quick Elf on the Shelf ideas!
There are so many tasty christmas treats that the kids will love and they are all perfect for any kids Christmas parties that you might have. Some of our favorite Christmas treats are Santa Hat Cupcakes and Whoville Cookies ! But you can check out the full list of Kid Friendly Christmas Treats and pick out your favorites to make with the kids!
If you are looking for cookie recipes we have you covered there too! Check out our Beautiful Christmas Sugar Cookies, 12 Days of Christmas Cookies, The Best Christmas Cookies Recipes, and Christmas Tree Desserts Recipes!
And make sure you grab this Last minute Personalized Santa Letter set!
LINDSEY RUBIN says
How did you get it so red? Do you have a cream cheese icing that you like? I need to make a red cream cheese icing but I’m having a hard time getting it red like elmo.
MidgetMomma says
Use a gel food coloring it will work better then the liquid 🙂
Debbie says
Did you actually make the red icing, because to get a good red you still need a lot of red gel coloring and then the icing has a bitter taste. I’ve been looking for a solution to the red icing issue.
Georgia says
There is a very red color but you also need to let it sit in the fridge for a day and it will eventually take the red color
patricia Bradley- says
use red red paste by wilton and at some rose pink to it. makes great red color
Mandy says
Debbie, Wilton makes a red no taste gel food color. I have used it before without any problems.
Roxi says
You can purchase red, black, blue and any other color icing from the grocery store bakery. They sold it to me by the lbs. Pricey but if you are doing something special it is worth it. Good luck. I got mine at Bilo.
Stacy says
There is also a red gel “no taste’ coloring that is made by Wilton and can be bought at Walmart.
Eab says
When I made lighting McQueen red frosting by adding some cocoa powder to the base frosting then adding red gel frosting. It became a brighter red color. I think you can also start with using beet juice. At least you don’t have to start from white to get to the red color.
Lyn says
Check Wilson and see if they have a red frosting or coloring
Kayla says
Will you have a red mouth after eating? As an adult if I took them to a party I wouldn’t want everyone embarrassed
Jessica Packy says
i cannot find the recipe ? just how-to-dos-videos. i just need the recipe for the chocolate dough it was insanely yummy. pleeeraseeer
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I’ve read your recipe Santa hat cupcake. then I tried it make at our home, my family members and kids like this cake. this Christmas I will make Santa hat cupcake, everyone like this at Christmas.
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Ronald Fletch says
wow, I love cupcakes It reminds me of my childhood. Thanks for writing such a beautiful article.
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