There’s something truly magical about these festive little treats that instantly brighten up the room. The Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Rainbow Sprinkles Recipe combines soft, fluffy cake with vibrant sprinkles and charming candy details that are as fun to make as they are to eat.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients & Why They Work
- Make It Your Way
- Step-by-Step: How I Make Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Rainbow Sprinkles Recipe
- Top Tip
- How to Serve Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Rainbow Sprinkles Recipe
- Make Ahead and Storage
- Frequently Asked Questions:
- Final Thoughts
- Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Rainbow Sprinkles Recipe
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This recipe holds a special place in my holiday baking lineup. It’s approachable for bakers of all levels yet feels wonderfully festive and impressive when you present these cupcakes. Plus, the rainbow sprinkles add a playful pop of color that makes kids and adults alike smile.
- Delightfully festive: The cupcake design doubles as adorable holiday decor for your dessert table.
- Easy to personalize: You can tweak the frosting colors, sprinkles, or candy to match any holiday vibe.
- Perfect for all skill levels: The step-by-step instructions ensure success whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned baker.
- Family-friendly fun: Kids love helping to decorate, making this a memorable seasonal baking project.
Ingredients & Why They Work
Every ingredient here is chosen to give you moist, flavorful cupcakes with a smooth frosting perfect for decorating. Using cake flour keeps the crumb tender, while the green buttercream frosting is the star for creating the classic Christmas tree shape.
- Cake flour: Lighter than all-purpose, it ensures your cupcakes are fluffy and delicate.
- Baking soda & baking powder: These leavening agents work together for perfect rise and texture.
- Salted butter: Adds rich, creamy flavor and balances sweetness.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cake without overpowering the vanilla flavor.
- Milk: Keeps the batter moist and helps dissolve dry ingredients evenly.
- Eggs: Provide structure and richness to the cupcakes.
- Vanilla extract: Key for warming the flavor and enhancing the overall taste.
- Sequin-style rainbow sprinkles: Bring a cheerful, colorful crunch and holiday sparkle.
- Twizzler Pull 'n' Peel Candy: Perfect for wrapping as a "tree skirt" with a soft texture.
- Green buttercream frosting: Smooth and easy to pipe, it’s essential for shaping the iconic tree.
- Star-shaped sprinkles: The perfect finishing touch at the tree tops.
- Confectioners sugar (optional): Adds a snowy effect for extra seasonal charm.
Make It Your Way
I love adding little twists to these Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Rainbow Sprinkles Recipe — it keeps things fun and lets you match the cupcakes to your own holiday style. Whether you’re swapping colors for your favorite team or adding different candies, the possibilities are endless!
- Flavor Variation: Sometimes I add peppermint extract to the frosting for an extra wintery touch — it’s subtle but festive and loved by everyone.
- Dietary tweaks: You can easily swap the milk for almond or oat milk to make these dairy-free without sacrificing texture.
- Sprinkle swap: If you want to tone down the rainbow sprinkles, metallic gold and silver edible pearls add a classy sparkle without overshadowing the green.
- Alternative tree skirts: Instead of Twizzler candy, try red licorice strings or even a small fondant bow for a different look.
Step-by-Step: How I Make Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Rainbow Sprinkles Recipe
Step 1: Prep with purpose
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and lining your muffin tin with cupcake liners. I like to use colorful liners to add a little festive flair even before decorating. While the oven heats, mix your dry ingredients — cake flour, baking soda, and baking powder — in a large bowl and set them aside. This keeps your workflow smooth and helps the leaveners distribute evenly throughout the batter.
Step 2: Cream and combine
In a separate bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. It usually takes about 3-4 minutes with an electric mixer. This step is crucial because it helps trap air for a tender crumb. Then whisk in your eggs one at a time, followed by the milk and vanilla extract. Once everything is mixed, gently fold your wet ingredients into the dry until you have a smooth, luscious batter.
Step 3: Bake and cool
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling about two-thirds full to give them room to rise. Bake for approximately 22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. The baking time can vary, so keep an eye on them starting around 20 minutes. When done, let your cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack before decorating. It’s tempting to frost warm cupcakes, but if you don’t wait, the frosting will melt and lose its shape.
Step 4: Frost like a pro
Fill a piping bag fitted with an open star tip (or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped if you’re improvising) with green buttercream. To get that perfect Christmas tree shape, start from the center of the cupcake by piping a small circle the size of a quarter. Now swirl the frosting from the outside edge towards the center, layering slightly on the previous swirl. Finally, push the tip down into the top center and quickly pull it up to form the tree’s peak — this little detail really brings it to life.
Step 5: Decorate & delight
Wrap a string of Twizzler Pull 'n' Peel candy just around the base of each cupcake to serve as a cute tree skirt. Sprinkle on the sequin-style rainbow sprinkles to mimic ornaments, and top each tree with a star-shaped sprinkle. For an extra festive touch, a light dusting of confectioners sugar gives the illusion of freshly fallen snow — it never fails to wow my family and guests.
Top Tip
I’ve made these Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Rainbow Sprinkles Recipe many times, and a few little tricks make all the difference between good and great results. Here are some tips I've picked up:
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure your butter, eggs, and milk are at room temperature so they combine seamlessly, giving you a smooth batter.
- Don’t Overmix: When combining wet and dry ingredients, mix just until smooth to avoid tough cupcakes from gluten overdevelopment.
- Steady Piping: When frosting, keep your pressure consistent and rotate the cupcake slowly for an even, neat tree shape.
- Cooling is Crucial: Patience here pays off — frosting on warm cupcakes melts and ruins the design, so cool completely before decorating.
How to Serve Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Rainbow Sprinkles Recipe
Garnishes
I usually stick with star-shaped sprinkles and rainbow sequins because they’re festive and colorful, but sometimes I swap the stars for edible silver balls to add a little shimmer. A quick dust of powdered sugar gives a snowy effect that’s just plain magical when the light hits it.
Side Dishes
These cupcakes shine on their own, but I love pairing them with a warm cup of spiced hot chocolate or a classic eggnog to complete the holiday vibe. For holiday parties, they also go wonderfully alongside a charcuterie board with rich cheeses and nuts.
Creative Ways to Present
One year, I arranged the cupcakes on a large platter shaped like a Christmas tree, garnishing the empty spaces with fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs to mimic branches. It was a hit at our family gathering and instantly festive. You could also place them on cupcake stands decorated with tinsel or fairy lights for a magical effect.
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
I keep leftovers tightly covered in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. This keeps the cupcakes moist and prevents the sprinkles from getting sticky. If your kitchen is warm, refrigerate them but take them out about 30 minutes before serving to let them soften up.
Freezing
I’ve frozen these cupcakes before with great success. Freeze undecorated cupcakes wrapped individually in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer bag. When ready, thaw completely and then frost and decorate. Frosted cupcakes don’t freeze as well unless you’re okay with a slight change in texture.
Reheating
For leftover cupcakes that are refrigerated or frozen, I let them come to room temperature naturally. If you want a slightly warm cupcake, 10 seconds in the microwave does the trick without melting the frosting too much.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Absolutely! Regular rainbow sprinkles work just fine and still deliver that festive color pop; the sequin style just adds a bit more dimension and shine.
No worries! Using a ziplock bag with the corner cut off works well in a pinch, and while the frosting swirls might not be as perfectly textured, you’ll still get that charming tree shape.
Yes you can prep the cupcakes a day ahead, store them undecorated at room temperature in an airtight container, and frost them just before serving for the freshest look and taste.
Make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting and that your frosting is firm but still soft enough to pipe. Also, avoid overly humid environments, which can cause sprinkles to dissolve.
Final Thoughts
These Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Rainbow Sprinkles Recipe have become my go-to holiday treat because they bring everyone together — the baking, the decorating, and the smiles when the cupcakes make their grand appearance. I can’t recommend them enough if you’re looking for a little sweetness and a lot of festive cheer. Give them a try and watch your kitchen fill with holiday magic!
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Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Rainbow Sprinkles Recipe
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 47 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Celebrate the festive season with these charming Christmas Tree Cupcakes, featuring moist vanilla cake topped with luscious green buttercream frosting piped into a tree shape, decorated with colorful sprinkles and Twizzler Pull 'n' Peel candy for a fun and whimsical holiday treat.
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 2 cups cake flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ tablespoon vanilla extract
Decoration Ingredients
- 16 oz. green buttercream frosting
- ¼ cup sequin-style rainbow sprinkles
- 2-3 Twizzler Pull 'n' Peel Candy, peeled into strings
- Star shaped sprinkles
- Confectioners sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Set your oven to 350 F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners and set it aside.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, baking soda, and baking powder, then set aside for later.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a medium bowl, cream together the softened salted butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, whisking to combine fully after each addition.
- Add liquids: Whisk in the milk and vanilla extract into the butter and sugar mixture until well blended.
- Combine wet and dry: Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients bowl, mixing until the batter is smooth and fully combined without overmixing.
- Fill cupcake liners: Pour the batter evenly into the cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full to allow room for rising.
- Bake cupcakes: Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely: Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool completely on a wire rack before decorating to prevent melting the frosting.
- Pipe frosting: Scoop the green buttercream frosting into a piping bag fitted with an open star tip. Start piping a quarter-size circle in the center of the cupcake, then move outward in a swirl pattern, layering the frosting slightly overlapping to build a tree shape. Finish by pressing the tip down and pulling up quickly to form the tree's pointed top.
- Decorate tree skirts and toppers: Wrap a string of peeled Twizzler Pull 'n' Peel candy around the cupcake bottoms to form the tree skirt. Sprinkle rainbow sprinkles and place a star-shaped sprinkle at the top of each tree. Optionally, dust with confectioners sugar to simulate snow for an extra festive touch.
Notes
- If you don't have a piping bag or cake decorating tips, a ziplock bag with a small corner cut off can be used as a substitute for piping the frosting.
- To peel the Twizzler Pull 'n' Peel candy into strings, gently separate the strands before wrapping them around the cupcake base.
- Letting cupcakes cool completely before frosting prevents the buttercream from melting and sliding off.
- You can tint your own buttercream frosting green using food coloring if not using pre-colored frosting.
- For a stronger vanilla flavor, consider adding an additional ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg

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