Candy Cane Cupcakes

These candy cane cupcakes are the ultimate Christmas cupcake. With a moist vanilla muffin topped with a whipped cream frosting with real candy canes - this is an easy recipe that comes out looking and tasting just like candy canes.

Christmas cupcakes seem to be becoming a thing at my house. First it was the oh so delicious Gingerbread Cupcakes with Blue Cheese Frosting (yes, the combo of gingerbread & blue cheese totally works - ask any Swedish person) and then it was these Candy Cane Cupcakes.

What can I say?? I'm a sucker for cute seasonal cupcakes.

Why you will love this recipe

• Light, delicious, frosting! Whipped cream frosting is light, airy and easy to flavor just the way you like. It does require more planning than buttercream frosting, but it is so worth it. Try it, I'm sure you will agree!
• Real candy cane taste from using, yes, real candy canes
• Real candy cane look from those pretty red stripes
• Moist vanilla muffins that pair so well with the candy cane frosting
• Easy to make - yes, really! You need to plan ahead to make the frosting, but it's not difficult to make. And the muffins? Simplest version there is - and tastiest!

What you need to make them

Ingredient notes & substitutions

• Butter - use salted or unsalted with a pinch of salt
• Candy cane candies - either the smaller candies or break some candy canes into smaller pieces
• Bright red gel food coloring - you really need to use gel food coloring here, but you can skip it if you don't have it. Same taste, just no stripes. Top with some crushed candy canes instead!

How to make them

There are three main steps for making candy cane cupcakes:

1. Making the candy cane whipped cream
2. Making the vanilla muffins
3. Putting it all together

I'll go through it all below, but for even more details on steps 1 & 2 - click the links and they have their own, very detailed, posts as well - with lots of tips & tricks.

The candy cane whipped cream needs to cool down for at least four hours, or preferably over night, so you need to start with that one.

1. Pour heavy cream in a sauce pan and place over medium heat. Do not at any point let the cream start to boil! If it does, it might not be possible to whip. So keep the temperature at medium or lower, and when you see steam coming off the cream keep a close eye on it. If or when the amount of steam increases, consider lowering the temperature.
2. When the cream is hot (steam coming out), add in the candy canes
3. Keep the heat of the cream high, but not boiling, and mix often so the candy canes don't stick to the bottom
4. When the candy canes are completely melted you are done for now and can turn off the heat. Set the cream aside to cool down, and then place in the fridge for at least 4 hours. If you can, leave it in there over night to ensure it's completely cooled. This is important if you want to be able to whip it into a nice, hard shape.

Meanwhile, make the vanilla muffins. For this, first make sure your ingredients are all at room temperature - especially the butter - preheat your oven to 200 C/400 F and line a muffin tin with muffin liners.

5. Place pieces of room temperature butter in a large mixing bowl and add sugar
6. Mix well until a bit fluffy
7. Add the eggs
8. Mix again

9. In a separate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients: flour, vanilla sugar and baking powder
10. Add to batter
11. Mix just to combine, not more
12. Add milk, then mix again - just until you have a smooth batter, not more

13. The batter should be well mixed and a bit fluffy. It will not be very runny.
14. Bring out your lined muffin tin and scoop in the batter using two spoons - don't fill the liners to more than ⅔
15. Continue until all the batter is finished
16. Bake in the middle of the oven for 16-18 minutes. Test them with a cake tester or tooth pick, it should come out dry or with just a tiny bit of batter on it when they're done. Then set aside to cool before decorating.

Meanwhile, prep your frosting.

17. Bring out the cooled down candy cane cream and whip it like you would a regular whipped cream
18. It might take a bit more time, but you will end up with a nice, firm, whipped candy cane cream
19. Then bring out an icing bag and the tip of your choice (I used a Wilton 2A*). I also like to use a clamp just above the tip, so the cream doesn't pour out before I'm ready. For this particular recipe I used two icing bags to ensure the red lines stay bright and crisp for all the cupcakes.
20. Then grab a tooth pick and dip it in your bright red gel food coloring. Make 4-6 stripes on the inside of the icing bag, and try to get them to start as far down as possible.

21. Then use a spoon to scoop in the candy cane whipped cream in the bag
22. This is what it should look like when you're done (here half the cream has been added to one bag)
23. Now grab a cooled-down vanilla muffin, and hold it in one hand. Remove the clamp from the icing bag and hold the icing bag firmly in your other hand. Now squeeze the bag gently so the whipped cream comes out the tip, and then turn the muffin slowly while holding the icing bag still.
24. Repeat for all cupcakes - or just the ones you're going to eat now.

Tips & tricks

• Top your cupcakes just before serving for the best result. However, they will be fine all topped and done in the fridge for a few days as well.
• The easiest way to frost, is to hold your cupcake in one hand and the icing bag in the other, then hold the bag still while you turn the cupcake slowly
• Skip the red line if you don't have any gel food coloring - it's a fun touch, but these cupcakes are really all about the flavor and that will still be there

Recipe FAQ

More delicious recipes like this

Love baking? Then check out these recipes:

• Snowball Cookies
• Lussekatter - Traditional Swedish Saffron Buns
• Cranberry Cupcakes With White Chocolate Frosting
• Walnut Brownies with Cocoa Powder
• Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

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