Santa Hat Cupcakes
These Santa Hat Cupcakes are fun, festive, and absolutely delicious. Decadent chocolate cupcakes are decorated with sweet buttercream frosting and fresh strawberries to look like Santa hats on top. They’re easy, delicious, and the perfect addition to any Christmas party.
The only thing we love more than holiday-themed recipes are EASY holiday-themed recipes, and that’s just what you get with these cupcakes. The chocolate cupcakes and the frosting are easy, and putting it all together is a breeze.
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It only uses a few simple ingredients.
- It’s an easy recipe that anyone can make.
- The strawberries, buttercream, and chocolate are the perfect combination.
- They’re the perfect, festive addition to any holiday party.
🛒Ingredients
You’ll only need a few basic ingredients to make this recipe, and you can find them all in your kitchen and at the grocery store.
Everything you need to make these cupcakes is listed here, but you can find the exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
For the Cupcakes
- Chocolate cake mix
- Eggs
- Canola oil
- Milk
- Sour cream
- Vanilla
For the Frosting
- Butter – slightly softened
- Vanilla
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Strawberries – stems cut off
🔪 How to Make Santa Hat Cupcakes
Making these cupcakes is as easy as gathering up the ingredients. It only takes a few minutes and a few simple steps, and the final decoration process is as easy as pie, er cupcakes.
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Then, place cupcake liners in a muffin tin.
Step 2: Make the Cupcake Batter
Combine the cake mix, eggs, canola oil, milk, sour cream, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer for about 2 minutes.
Step 3: Bake
Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full, then bake for 18 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes and let them cool on a wire rack completely.
Step 4: Make the Frosting
Mix the slightly softened butter with the sugar for about 5 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix. Use milk to adjust the frosting if it’s too dry.
Step 5: Decorate the Cupcakes
Once the cupcakes are cool pipe frosting onto the tops with a piping bag with a metal tip. Then, place an upside-down strawberry in the center of each cupcake. Top the tip with a small dot of frosting to complete the Santa hat!
📝Variations
- Use your favorite variety of chocolate cake mix.
- Try adding a bit of espresso or instant coffee to the cake mix for even deeper flavor.
- For extra rich frosting, you can use half and half or cream in place of milk.
If you think these cupcakes look good, then we think you’ll love our Christmas light cupcakes.
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Muffin tin
- Cupcake liners
- Piping bag
- Metal piping tip
🥫 Storage
Refrigerate these cupcakes in an air-tight container for up to a week. Do not freeze them. The strawberries will get watery and limp when they defrost.
💭 Tips
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting, or the frosting will slide right off of them.
- The longer you beat your butter and sugar, the fluffier your frosting will be.
- Use milk to thin out the frosting if it’s too thick. Add more powdered sugar if it’s too thin.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Yes, they are. The only difference between cupcakes and regular cakes is the type of pan used to bake the batter and the amount of time it takes to bake them.
Using butter that is still somewhat cold helps keep the frosting stable and fluffy.
Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy cupcakes? Then try these delicious recipes:
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Santa Hat Cupcakes
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- mixing bowls
- Muffin tin
- cupcake liners
- Piping bag
- Metal piping tip
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounces chocolate cake mix
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup canola oil
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:
- ½ cup butter slightly softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoons milk
- 24 strawberries stems cut off
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine the cake mix, eggs, canola oil, milk, sour cream, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer for about 2 minutes.
- Place cupcake liners in a muffin tin and fill your cupcake liners about 3⁄4 the way full with the batter.
- Bake for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- While cupcakes are baking, prepare the frosting. Mix the slightly softened butter (not straight out of the fridge but not totally softened) in a stand mixer with the vanilla for 5 minutes. The longer you mix, the smoother and fluffier your frosting will be!
- Add the powdered sugar and mix. Add milk as needed if the frosting is too dry.
- Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a metal tip. Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Place the strawberry with the stem cut off upside down onto the frosting. Top the tip of the strawberry with a small dot of frosting to complete the Santa hat look!
