Candy Cane Cupcakes
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Forget putting the candy canes on your tree put them in your buttercream instead. These candy cane cupcakes start with an easy one bowl dark rich chocolate cupcake and finished with a pink swirl of a candy cane buttercream frosting!
So this time of year means I get to watch all my favorite holiday movie classics. I think ABC family has been on my TV way too much in the past couple weeks. Elf, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Prancer. The list goes on and on. I seriously can’t stop. What’s sad is I think of all the ones I haven’t seen yet. Rudolph, The Christmas story, Home Alone. Yea, I like my Christmas movies.
Of course this year means the amount of baking I do gets like tripled. I’ve been on quite the candy cane kick lately. As a kid I completely avoided mint. Ok, maybe a candy cane at Christmas time, but chocolate and peppermint treats? Um, no thank you. I guess that means I’m getting older, huh? Now..I can’t seem to get enough.
I used the chocolate cake recipe from Hershey’s Kitchen. This cupcake comes out perfect every time. Moist, super chocolate-y every time. If you’re new to making cupcakes from scratch, then read my 15 tips on how to make perfect cupcakes.
I’ve used this cupcake A LOT. I’ve made them with cake batter frosting, stuffed with peanut butter cups, smores, and for those true chocoholics- triple chocolate. So yeah, Iโve made them a few times.
This time with candy canes.
This candy cane buttercream starts with the best buttercream icing. The Candy Canes in the frosting when mixed in give the frosting a fun pink color. And don’t worry they soften up a bit in the frosting, so don’t worry you won’t break a tooth this Christmas season.
Want to master making buttercream? Then check out my Buttercream Basics Guide!
A Few Tips On Making These Candy Cane Cupcakes:
- Don’t overmeasure your flour. Too much flour can result in a dense cupcake as opposed to a nice light fluffy one. Measuring your flour wrong is one of the most common baking mistakes. You want to use what’s called the “spoon and level” method. You want to use a spoon and scoop the flour into your measuring cup. Don’t just scoop the flour directly into your measuring cup. This can result in a major overmeasurement! After you have spooned the flour in, then use a knife to level off the flour. Don’t tap the sides of the measuring cup, or pack your flour down. Both can also result in too much flour.
- This recipe calls for boiling water. This results in a super thin batter, but trust me that’s what you’re going for here. The hot water results in a super moist cupcake.
- This frosting is absolute perfection. The key to this frosting is how long you mix it first. Once all the ingredients are combined mix it on medium-high for 8 whole minutes. It might seem like a lot of time, but it results in the most fluffy frosting. You can use a hand mixer, but a stand mixer makes quick work of this buttercream. If you make the frosting ahead of time and refrigerate it, stick it back in your mixer and mix it again until its fluffy. When you go to eat these, make sure they are at room temperature. With all the butter in the frosting, you want the frosting to soften up before taking a bite.
These would be perfect ending to a evening, don’t you think? Curled up on the couch, cupcake in hand, and a Christmas classic on TV. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.
If you make these cupcakes, snap a photo, just include the #bostongirlbakes so I can see it!
Candy Cane Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 1-3/4 cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (63 g) Unsweetened Cocoa powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 ml) boiling water
For the frosting
- 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter softened (1 1/4 cups)
- 2 1/2 cups (383 g) confectioners sugar
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
- 1/2 cup crushed candy canes
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare cupcake pans with liners.
- In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Stir in boiling water. Batter will be very thin at this point.
- Pour into cupcake liners. Fill about 2/3 full.
- Bake about 22-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before adding the frosting on top.
- For the frosting: Cream the butter first until light and fluffy. Add the confectioner sugar and beat for another 1 to 2 minutes until combined. You may want to scrap down the bowl at this point. Then add the extracts, heavy cream, and crushed candy canes Then mix on high speed for 8 minutes until light and fluffy.
Notes
- Don’t overmeasure your flour. Too much flour can result in a dense cupcake as opposed to a nice light fluffy one. Measuring your flour wrong is one of the most common baking mistakes. You want to use what’s called the “spoon and level” method.ย You want to use a spoon and scoop the flour into your measuring cup. Don’t just scoop the flour directly into your measuring cup. This can result in a major overmeasurement! After you have spooned the flour in, then use a knife to level off the flour. Don’t tap the sides of the measuring cup, or pack your flour down. Both can also result in too much flour.
- This recipe calls for boiling water. This results in a super thin batter, but trust me that’s what you’re going for here. The hot water results in a super moist cupcake.
- This frosting is absolute perfection. The key to this frosting is how long you mix it first. Once all the ingredients are combined mix it on medium-high for 8 whole minutes. It might seem like a lot of time, but it results in the most fluffy frosting. You can use a hand mixer, but a stand mixer makes quick work of this buttercream. If you make the frosting ahead of time and refrigerate it, stick it back in your mixer and mix it again until its fluffy. When you go to eat these, make sure they are at room temperature. With all the butter in the frosting, you want the frosting to soften up before taking a bite.
- The crushed candy canes will make the frosting slightly pink. If you want it less pink, add your crushed candy canes in at the end of your mixing and simply fold them in with a spatula. Top with additional crushed candy canes if desired.