Description
Cupcake cakes bring pure party joy to your gatherings, letting guests grab individual treats from a connected masterpiece without cutting or serving. Friends absolutely adore pulling these sweet clusters apart, creating delightful shared moments of celebration.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 batch cupcake batter
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter
- 6 cups powdered sugar
Supporting Ingredients:
- ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 24 tablespoons milk or cream
- Green gel food coloring
Decorative Ingredients:
- Red candies
- Candy canes
- Stars
- Mini ornaments
- Sprinkles
- Optional: Gold dust or edible glitter
- Optional: Cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a standard muffin tin with 19 cupcake liners, ensuring they’re evenly spaced.
- Prepare your favorite cupcake batter according to the recipe, filling each liner ⅔ full with approximately 3 tablespoons of batter.
- Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let them cool completely on a wire rack.
- Select a large cake board or serving platter that provides enough space for your wreath design.
- Arrange the 19 cooled cupcakes in a circular formation, gently touching each other to create a wreath shape. Adjust for symmetry.
- Beat 1 ½ cups of softened unsalted butter until creamy and light, about 3 minutes using an electric mixer.
- Gradually add 6 cups of powdered sugar, mixing on low speed to prevent sugar clouds. Beat until smooth and fluffy.
- Incorporate ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and 2-3 tablespoons of milk to achieve a spreadable consistency.
- Add green gel food coloring, mixing until you reach a deep evergreen shade. Adjust color intensity as desired.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star tip with the green buttercream.
- Pipe rosettes or leaf-like swirls onto each cupcake, slightly overlapping to create a seamless wreath effect.
- Strategically place 19-24 red candies like M&Ms to resemble festive berries across the wreath.
- Accent the design with mini candy canes, sprinkles, and optional edible glitter for extra holiday sparkle.
- Refrigerate the cupcake wreath for 15-30 minutes to set the frosting before serving or displaying.
Notes
- Frost the cupcakes while they are completely cool to prevent the buttercream from melting or sliding off.
- Practice piping techniques on a piece of parchment paper before decorating the actual cupcakes to get a smooth, consistent rosette pattern.
- Experiment with different color combinations and decorative elements to personalize your wreath design for various holidays or themes.
- For a gluten-free version, use a gluten-free cake mix or substitute all-purpose flour with a gluten-free blend in your favorite cupcake recipe.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 35 kcal
- Sugar: 0.38 g
- Sodium: 0.03 mg
- Fat: 1.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0.1 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg