Easy Christmas Chocolate Cupcakes (w/ Holly Sprinkles)

Christmas chocolate cupcake with holly berry sprinkles on white cake stand.

5 from 1 vote

Easy Christmas Chocolate Cupcakes (w/ Holly Sprinkles)

These Christmas Chocolate Cupcakes are an easy one-bowl dessert that will be ready to bake in just 20 minutes! They’re incredibly moist and tender, full of chocolate flavor, and topped with a simple vanilla buttercream rosette. Finish with holly sprinkles for a festive design that's at the top of our Christmas cupcake ideas!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Decorating Time15

Total Time55

Course: Christmas, Dessert, Holiday

Cuisine: American

Servings: - 19 cupcakes

Calories: 287kcal

Author: Borrowed Bites

Equipment

Silver cupcake liners
1B or 1M piping tip
Large piping bag

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon espresso powder or 1 teaspoon instant coffee
½ cup milk
¼ cup canola oil
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup boiling water

Vanilla Frosting

¾ cup (or 12 tbsp) butter softened
2 oz cream cheese softened
3.5 cups powdered sugar sifted
1 tablespoon vanilla
1-2 tablespoon heavy cream or more as needed

Other

Holly and berry sprinkles (affiliate) These are often sold at arts & crafts stores
Varied Christmas sprinkles set (affiliate) This is a similar set to what we used

Instructions

Chocolate Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two cupcake pans with liners (you will need 18-19 total). Spray lightly with baking spray.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder.
1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon espresso powder
Add the milk, oil, egg, and vanilla. Mix with hand beaters or the stand mixer on medium-low until well combined.
½ cup milk, ¼ cup canola oil, 1 egg, ½ teaspoon vanilla
Add the boiling water to the batter (I use the microwave to heat mine until boiling). Mix carefully until well combined. The batter should be smooth and thin.
½ cup boiling water
Divide the batter into the prepared muffin tins, about 3 tablespoons of batter in each liner. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes. Then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack.

Frosting

In a large bowl with hand beaters or in a stand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese on high for 5 minutes, scraping occasionally.
¾ cup (or 12 tbsp) butter, 2 oz cream cheese
Reduce the speed to low and add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tbsp of cream. Beat on medium-high for 5 minutes, scraping occasionally.
3.5 cups powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 1-2 tablespoon heavy cream
Check the texture. You are looking for light, fluffy buttercream that can still hold it's shape. Add additional cream half a tablespoon at a time to loosen the frosting if needed. If it's too thin, add additional powdered sugar to thicken.
1-2 tablespoon heavy cream
Reduce the speed to low for 1-2 minutes or stir gently with a rubber spatula, pressing the frosting along the sides of the bowl to remove large air bubbles.

Decorate

Once the cupcakes are cool, place the vanilla buttercream in a large piping bag fitted with a 1M or 1B piping tip.
To pipe a rosette, hold your piping bag straight above the center of the cupcake, barely off the surface. Squeeze with even, medium pressure to form a star in the middle. Without releasing, move your hand in a circular motion to start forming the rosette. Continue with even pressure all the way to the edge of the cupcake. Release the pressure and pull away to finish the rosette.
Note: See the post for a how-to video link.
If the end of the rosette is ragged, use a toothpick to smooth it out slightly. Then use your hands or tweezers to carefully apply your sprinkles of choice on the end of the rosette.
Holly and berry sprinkles, Varied Christmas sprinkles set
We love comments! Please come back and leave us one after you’ve tried this recipe.

Notes

Tips & Tricks

Use foil-lined, wax-lined, or all foil liners to avoid grease stains. Paper liners just don't hold up. We used the generic Walmart brand in these photos, but these cupcake liners (affiliate) would also work great.
Don’t overfill the liners, or the cupcakes will have rounded tops that are much harder to decorate. For flat cupcake tops, fill the liners with about 3 tablespoons of batter.
Practice piping the rosettes on wax paper first. Simply pipe the rose, then scrape up the buttercream and reuse it.
Add the sprinkles quickly, before the buttercream hardens on the edge. I suggest frosting a few at a time, adding sprinkles, then moving on to the next few.
Keep the buttercream cool. If it starts to lose its shape, it is probably too warm. Pop the icing bag into the fridge for several minutes until it is cool (but not cold), then keep frosting.

How to Store

Store cupcakes in an air-tight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Make Ahead Instructions

Bake the cupcakes, cool completely, then store unfrosted in an air-tight container at room temperature for 1-2 days before serving. If storing longer than 2 days, freeze the cupcakes for up to 3 months (see directions below). I don’t recommend frosting and adding sprinkles in advance, because the sprinkles may bleed into the frosting.

Freezer Instructions

The freezer keeps cupcakes really moist! Wrap cooled cupcakes in plastic wrap, then freeze in a plastic bag or air-tight container for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature for a few hours, or until thawed, then frost and add sprinkles.

Nutrition