Mini Cupcake Tree Recipes

Steps:

• Arrange 21 cupcakes in a tight triangle on a platter or cake board, using 6 cupcakes at the bottom. Add 2 cupcakes for the trunk. Break the graham cracker in half, spread chocolate frosting on the back and use to fill in the gaps in the trunk as shown.
• Spread the remaining chocolate frosting on the bottom 2 cupcakes, using an offset spatula to add texture. Tint the vanilla frosting green; transfer to a piping bag with an open-star tip. Starting from the bottom of the triangle and working your way up, pipe the green frosting all over the cupcakes in small downward strokes to cover completely.
• Add candies for ornaments. Flatten the gumdrop and trim into a star shape with a small cookie cutter. Place on top of the tree.

Steps:

• Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line the cups of 2 to 4 mini muffin tins with paper liners (you can bake the cupcakes in batches if necessary). Mix the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the eggs and milk and mix until well combined. Drizzle in the oil and the vanilla and almond extracts and mix. With the mixer running at low speed, add the boiling water and mix just until smooth. Fill the lined muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake until risen and firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pans. Frosting: In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons milk and mix until smooth. Add more milk a little at a time until the frosting is thick and spreadable. Using a flexible spatula, frost the tops of the cooled cupcakes. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before assembling the tree.
• To assemble the tree, spread a thick layer of sprinkles out on a plate. Dip the tops of the cupcakes in the sprinkles and set aside. Tie curling ribbon around the candy canes and curl with a scissor blade. One inch up from the bottom of the styrofoam cone, stick toothpicks into the cone 1 1/2 inches apart, making a circle around the cone and leaving them sticking out at least 1 inch. Place the cone on a serving platter. Make the bottom ring of cupcakes by spearing the bottom of a cupcake onto one of the toothpicks in the cone, with the frosting facing out and with the side of the cupcake resting on the plate. One inch above the tops of the first row of cupcakes, place another row of toothpicks 1 1/2 inches apart, all around the cone, positioning them so that the second row will rest between the tops of the first row. You will fit fewer cupcakes on the second row; feel free to cut a cupcake in half if necessary to fit into the space available. Spear the cupcakes onto the toothpicks as before. Continue up the cone to form a tree of cupcakes, ending with a single cupcake on top. Serve within one hour, or refrigerate up to 24 hours. Stick the candy canes in the styrofoam and stick gilded cranberries on with a little extra icing. Pour sugar on the serving platter around the tree. To gild the cranberries, roll them on the sheets of gold leaf to roughly coat.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 18-cup mini muffin tin or line with cupcake liners.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
• Whip butter and sugar in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and milk; whip until just combined. Fill the prepared muffin cups 3/4 full with batter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 10 to 14 minutes. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whip powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla for frosting in a bowl until well combined. Frost cooled cupcakes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease mini muffin cups or line with paper liners.
• Mix pastry flour, white sugar, and cocoa powder together in a bowl; add water, oil, and vanilla extract and blend until batter is smooth. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes.
• Mix frosting and green food coloring together in a bowl until evenly combined. Transfer frosting to a pipe bag or plastic bag with a snipped corner; refrigerate for 5 minutes.
• Squeeze a small amount of frosting onto the hulled side of each strawberry and place each onto a cupcake so the strawberry is in the shape of a tree. Pipe frosting onto each strawberry to look like leaves. Add candies to the "tree" to look like ornaments and place a star-shaped candy on top of each "tree".

Steps:

• Cook's Note: If you only have 1 mini cupcake tin, it is recommended that you mix up one batch of batter at a time and bake it off individually before mixing the next batter.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 (24-cup) mini cupcake tins with paper liners.
• Evenly divide the cake mix into 3 medium bowls. In each bowl, add 1 egg white, 3 tablespoons oil, and 1/3 cup of one of the juices. Mix each for 2 minutes until the batter is well incorporated. Scoop the batter into muffin cups using a mini ice cream scoop or tablespoon measure, filling each a little more than half full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, place the cupcakes on a wire rack to cool completely.
• In a medium bowl, beat together the butter with the softened cream cheese until combined. Slowly add in the powdered sugar until completely incorporated. Evenly divide the frosting between 3 bowls. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of one of the juices to each and mix until well combined. Add a couple drops red food coloring to the cherry flavored, a couple drops blue food coloring to the blueberry flavored, and a couple drops yellow food coloring to the pineapple flavored. Mix until well combined
• Place each icing into a resealable bag and snip off 1/4- inch from the bottom corners of each bag. Pipe each flavored frosting atop its corresponding cupcake. If the frosting becomes too soft, chill in the refrigerator until it firms up enough for piping. Garnish the top of each cupcake with its corresponding garnish.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line the muffin tin with the muffin cases. Put half the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl, and beat until pale and fluffy. Add one egg and mix well. Add half the flour and milk, and mix with a spatula until combined. Use 2 teaspoons to distribute the cake mixture evenly among the cases and bake for 12 mins until risen and golden, and a skewer inserted to the centre comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat to make another batch of 24 mini cakes.
• While the cakes are cooling, make the icing. Put the butter and icing sugar in a bowl and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla and food colouring, and blend again until evenly coloured. Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle. Once the cakes have cooled, use a skewer to make a small hole in the base of each cake. To decorate the cakes, pipe blobs of green icing over the surface of each one.
• Now you're ready to start assembling your Christmas tree. Paint the foam cone all over with green paint and leave to dry - don't worry about it being too neat. Push the cone into the pot. To build the tree, push a cocktail stick into the base of each cake and press it into the cone. Continue until the cone is covered in cakes, trying to keep them as close together as possible. You may have some left over, which you can serve alongside the tree.
• Spray the chocolate star gold and put on top of the tree, then decorate the rest of the tree with sweets. The cakes will last for 3 days.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Invert two 9 1/2-by-3-inch disposable round foil baking pans. Using a craft knife or a paring knife, cut six X shapes in bottom of each, spacing them evenly, to make 1 1/2-inch openings. Fit a waffle cone snugly into each opening, standing the cones upright. Line each cone with parchment paper, and then place a dried bean or a hazelnut in bottom to prevent batter from leaking. Place pans and cones on parchment-lined baking sheets. Line a 12-cup mini-muffin tin with paper liners.
• Whisk together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl. With a mixer on low speed, gradually add egg mixture to flour mixture, beating until just combined. Raise speed to medium, and beat for 3 minutes. Carefully pour batter into cones, filling each two-thirds full. Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons batter into each muffin cup (these will be the tree bases).
• Bake until a skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes for cupcakes and 35 minutes for cones. Let cakes cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove cakes from cones and parchment. Let cool completely on the rack.
• If necessary, use a serrated knife to trim top of each cupcake to create a flat surface. Place a dab of frosting on top of each cupcake, and position a cone cake on top. Place frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip (such as Ateco #19) and pipe frosting decoratively all over tree. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Top each tree with a mini gingerbread star, if desired. Trees can be refrigerated, uncovered, for up to 6 hours before serving.

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter mix according to package directions for cupcakes; fold in chips. Fill foil-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. , Bake at 350° for 18-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and extracts until blended. Transfer 2 tablespoons to a small bowl; stir in cocoa. Stir green food coloring into remaining frosting. , Frost 21 cupcakes with green frosting; arrange in a pyramid to form a tree. Decorate all but the top cupcake with miniature kisses for lights. Frost two cupcakes with chocolate frosting and place at base of tree for trunk; top each with a chocolate star. Save remaining cupcake for another use., With a rolling pin, roll two yellow Starburst candies flat; cut with 2-in. and 1-1/2-in. star-shaped cookie cutters. Press smaller star onto larger star; place on cupcake at top of tree. , For presents, roll five Starburst candies into 3x3/4-in. rectangles; cut each rectangle into four 3-in.-long strips. Place two strips widthwise on one whole Starburst candy; press together at base to attach. , For bow, form two strips into figure eights; press together in center and press onto wrapped candy. Repeat with remaining strips and remaining four whole Starburst candies. Place presents beneath cupcake tree.