Description
Delight in festive Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cupcakes featuring moist vanilla cupcakes topped with a creamy, luscious cream cheese frosting blended with crumbled Christmas Tree Cakes for added texture and flavor. Decorated with red frosting drizzle and green sanding sugar, these cupcakes bring holiday cheer to any celebration.
Ingredients
Scale
Cupcakes
- ¾ cup butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Frosting
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 10 Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Red gel food coloring, amount as needed
- Green sanding sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners to prepare for baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and granulated sugar. Cream on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Alternatively, use a hand mixer on medium speed.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture. Mix until fully combined.
- Incorporate Milk: Pour in the whole milk and mix until combined. The batter might look curdled, which is normal.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed until the dry ingredients are mostly incorporated, then increase to medium speed and beat until fully combined.
- Fill Cupcake Liners: Fill each cupcake liner halfway to two-thirds full with the cake batter.
- Bake the Cupcakes: Place the pans in the preheated oven and bake for 16 minutes or until edges are lightly golden. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare Frosting Base: In a mixing bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, and salt. Beat on medium speed with a whisk attachment until smooth and creamy. A hand mixer works as well.
- Add Vanilla and Sugar: Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Mix on low speed until well combined. Set aside.
- Crush Christmas Tree Cakes: In a food processor, pulse the Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes until crumbled and creamy. If no processor is available, use a hand mixer but expect some lumps.
- Combine Crumbles with Frosting: Add the crumbled cakes to the frosting bowl. Using a paddle attachment, mix on medium speed until smooth and integrated.
- Prepare Red Frosting: Take ½ cup of the frosting into a separate bowl, add milk and red gel food coloring, and mix thoroughly with a spatula. Transfer to a piping bag or storage bag.
- Pipe Frosting: Place the remaining frosting in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (or large round tip if frosting is not smooth). Pipe tall swirls onto each cooled cupcake.
- Drizzle Red Frosting: Cut a small hole at the tip of the red frosting piping bag. Drizzle the red frosting over the frosted cupcakes by moving the bag back and forth while squeezing gently.
- Add Green Sugar Topping: Sprinkle green sanding sugar over the cupcakes for a festive finish.
- Storage: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 to 7 days due to the cream cheese frosting. They can remain at room temperature for up to two days.
Notes
- Ensure butter and cream cheese are at room temperature to achieve smooth frosting.
- If you don't have a stand mixer, a hand mixer will work for creaming and frosting.
- Do not overfill cupcake liners to prevent overflowing during baking.
- If a food processor is unavailable, crumble Little Debbie cakes by hand, though frosting texture may be less smooth.
- For a more vibrant red drizzle, add food coloring gradually until desired color is reached.
- Keep cupcakes refrigerated to maintain frosting consistency and freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
