Make these adorable, decadent Christmas Chocolate Reindeer Cupcakes! They are chocolate cupcakes topped with smooth chocolate buttercream and decorated with eye candy, pretzels, and red Smarties or Skittles! Serve during the festive season.
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Celebrate this Christmas with these adorable Rudolf cupcakes! They are fun and easy to make and eat. The cupcakes have a rich chocolate flavor and the buttercream is smooth and creamy. The candy eyes, red nose, and pretzel antlers add a festive touch and a yummy crunch.
If you love these, try my cute Christmas tree cupcakes, Ferrero rocher cake, Easy Moist Ginger Cake, Easy Terry's Chocolate Orange Cake and Christmas vegan desserts. You can also top these with milk chocolate ganache.
Why You Should Try this recipe
- These cupcakes are a fantastic addition to any dessert spread.
- It is a fun dessert for the kids to get involved with.
- It looks fancy but it is really easy to assemble
- The cupcakes can be made ahead of time.
Christmas Chocolate Reindeer Cupcakes
Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Self-raising flour: Sift the flour to remove lumps and dirt. Do not use all-purpose flour because it does not include leavening agents.
- Cocoa powder: Use Dutch processed cocoa powder for the best flavor.
- Baking powder: To help the cake rise.
- Caster sugar: Sift the sugar to remove any lumps or excess dirt.
- Unsalted butter: Softened and cubed at room temperature for the best results.
- Egg: Ensure it is at room temperature to help the ingredients mix together easily.
- Milk: Use full-fat milk.
- Vanilla extract: For sweetness.
- Unsalted butter: The butter should be at room temperature for a smooth, creamy texture.
- Icing sugar: Has a powder-like texture, making it great for frosting. Make sure you sift it before mixing it for a smooth texture.
- Cocoa powder unprocessed: Use good quality cocoa powder for this reindeer cupcake recipe and sift it before mixing.
Decoration
- Pretzels: Chopped in half to make the antlers.
- Red candy: Use any red candy of your choice for the nose. This includes Smarties, M&M's or Skittles.
- Eye candy: You can find this in the supermarket or online.
Tips and Substitutions
- Mixing: Do not overmix the batter, as this will develop gluten and make the cupcakes tough and chewy. Mix just until the dry and wet ingredients are combined.
- Dry ingredients: Sift all the dry ingredients, such as flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, before adding them to the wet ingredients. This will ensure the batter is smooth and airy, giving the cupcakes a light and fluffy texture.
- Room temperature: Use room-temperature ingredients, such as butter, eggs, and milk, for the batter and the frosting. This will help them blend more easily and create a uniform texture.
- Weighing scale: Use a scale to measure your ingredients, especially the flour and the butter. This will ensure that you have the right proportions and avoid adding too much or too little of any ingredient.
- Frosting: If you want to use a different frosting than chocolate buttercream for your Rudolf cupcakes, you have some other options that are also delicious and easy to make. You can try milk chocolate ganache, which is a smooth and glossy mixture of chocolate and cream. You can also use chocolate cream cheese frosting, which is a rich and creamy.
How to Make Christmas Chocolate Reindeer Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Grease and line cupcake tins with green cupcake cups. Add butter to a bowl.
- Beat the butter for a few minutes.
- Add sugar.
- Whisk for about 5 minutes. The mixture should be white after you are done. In a bowl, mix self-raising flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder until combined, then set aside for later.
5. Add the egg to the butter and mix until just combined.
6. Then, add half the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold in with a whisk or spatula. Add half of the milk mix into the batter and mix. Repeat this step with the remaining flour and milk. Mix until just combined.
7. Scoop the cake batter into the cupcake cups. Fill them about ž way, then bake for 20 minutes or until it is done.
8. In the meantime, prepare the buttercream. Add unsalted butter to a large bowl and whisk quickly for 1 minute. Then, add half of the icing sugar and cocoa powder and whisk at medium speed for 3 minutes.
7. Next, add the remaining icing sugar cocoa powder, vanilla essence, milk and whisk for 3-5 minutes or until spreadable.
8. Once the cupcakes are done remove them from the oven. Let them cool completely before topping them with chocolate buttercream.
9. To decorate the cupcake, use a piping bag and a nozzle to add frosting on top of the cupcake. Then, add two pretzels for the antlers, two candy eyes for the eyes, and one red candy for the nose.
10. Enjoy these creative and festive Christmas Chocolate Reindeer Cupcakes!
Recipe FAQs
You can use pretzels or an icing pen, or you can use icing for antlers.
For the best taste, enjoy these Christmas cupcakes right after you make them. If you need to prepare them in advance, keep the cupcakes, buttercream, and candy in separate containers and put them together when you are ready to serve.
More Delicious Christmas Recipes
Christmas Chocolate Reindeer Cupcakes
Equipment
- Cupcake tin
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 150 g self-raising flour
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 200 g caster sugar
- 100 g unsalted butter softened and cubed
- 1 large egg
- 100 ml whole milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate buttercream
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 300 g icing sugar
- 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
Decoration
- Pretzels chopped in half
- Red smarties, m&ms or skittles
- eye sweets
Instructions
- Set the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4 and line a cupcake tin with green paper cases. In a bowl, whisk together self-raising flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and set aside.
- In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and beat well.
- Fold in half of the flour mixture, then half of the milk, and repeat with the remaining flour and milk. Do not overmix the batter.
- Spoon the batter into the paper cases, filling them about ž full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Chocolate buttercream
- To make the buttercream, beat unsalted butter on low speed for a minute, then add half of the icing sugar and cocoa powder and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the rest of the icing sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla essence, and milk and beat until smooth and spreadable.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack before frosting them.
Decorate
- To decorate the cupcakes, pipe some buttercream on top of each one. Then, add two pretzels for the antlers, two candy eyes for the eyes, and one red candy for the nose. You have just made some adorable Christmas Chocolate Reindeer Cupcakes!
Video
Notes
- Mixing: To make the batter, combine the wet and dry ingredients just until they are well incorporated. Do not overmix, or you will end up with tough and chewy cupcakes.
- Dry ingredients: Sifting the dry ingredients, such as flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, will help create a smooth and airy batter that will bake into light and fluffy cupcakes. Also, make sure to use room temperature ingredients, such as butter, eggs, and milk, for both the batter and the frosting. This will allow them to blend together more easily and evenly.
- Weighing scale: For accurate measurements, use a scale to weigh your ingredients, especially the flour and the butter. This will ensure that you have the right proportions and avoid adding too much or too little of any ingredient.
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