Elf Cupcakes Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
• In large bowl, beat cupcake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (about two-thirds full).
• Bake and cool completely as directed on box for cupcakes.
• Frost cupcakes with frosting, reserving 1 tablespoon frosting. Place one apricot half on each side of cupcakes for ears. Cut each fruit snack into 4 triangles. Place 1 triangle on top of each cupcake, folding pointed end over to form hat. Attach 1 gumdrop half to pointed end of each hat using reserved frosting. Use remaining gumdrop halves for nose, and chocolate chips for eyes. Pipe mouth with red decorator frosting. Store loosely covered.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (about two-thirds full).
• Bake 14 to 19 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Place candy sprinkles in shallow bowl. Fill 1 large resealable food-storage plastic bag with 1 1/4 cups frosting. Cut off bottom corner. Pipe frosting in a circle one time around outside edge of cupcake. Dip edge of frosting into sprinkles. Reserve remaining frosting in bag for pompoms of hats.
• In 3 small bowls, evenly divide remaining frosting (about 1 1/3 cups each). Tint frosting in bowls with food colors: 1 red, 1 green and 1 blue to desired level of color. Place frosting in 3 resealable food-storage plastic bags. Cut off bottom corner of each bag. Pipe red frosting, starting on inside edge of white frosting and spiraling up toward center to form a hat; continue red piping on 7 additional cupcakes. Repeat piping with green and blue frosting with remaining 16 cupcakes. Pipe a small dab of reserved untinted frosting on top of hat for pompom on each.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cups in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, eggnog, oil and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when touched lightly in center. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.
• Squeeze green cookie icing into bowl. Place sanding sugar on plate. Cover each ice cream cone with thin layer of cookie icing using frosting spatula. Roll cones in sanding sugar to coat. Let stand 10 minutes.
• Place flat ribbon applicator tip on extruder of red cupcake icing. Pipe line of red icing around bottom edge (non-pointed end) of each cone.
• Cover each cupcake with small amount of fluffy white frosting. Dip frosted cupcakes in sanding sugar. Top each cupcake with 1 sugar cone.
• Cut each yellow fruit chew into 3 pieces; knead each until soft. Roll pieces into balls; gently press 1 ball onto tip of each sugar cone.
• Cut each pink fruit chew into 2 pieces; mold each into square. Cut each square diagonally into 2 triangles. Flatten each triangle slightly; place 1 on either side of hats to create "elf ears." Store cupcakes loosely covered.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Line bun tins with paper cake cases. Put all the ingredients for the cupcakes in a large bowl using 4 tbsp of the orange juice, then beat together for 1-2 mins until smooth.
• Spoon the cake mix into the cases, so they are three-quarters full. Bake for 15-18 mins or until golden and firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack.
• For the icing, beat the butter, vanilla and icing sugar until pale and creamy, adding 1-2 tbsp warm water to loosen, if needed. Ice the cakes with a palette knife or use a piping bag to create swirls deep enough to hold the Santa and elf legs.
• For the legs, make a batch of fondant icing following the pack instructions. Cut the candy canes and pencil sweets into 4cm lengths. Use green fondant icing to mould elf boots around the candy cane legs and black fondant icing to mould Santa boots around the strawberry pencil legs. Add some white fondant around the top of Santa boots. Use the made-up fondant icing to stick a silver or gold ball onto each toe of the elf boots. Let the boots dry completely. Use our chimney template, to make paper sleeves to wrap around the cupcake cases. Push the legs into the cupcakes just before serving.