Santa Belt Christmas Cupcakes

Make some Santa Belt Christmas Cupcakes for a festive holiday dessert!

It's holiday baking season, and I've got a fun and festive recipe for you to try! These Santa Belt Christmas Cupcakes are easy to make, taste delicious, and are a fun treat to share at your Christmas parties. Even if you are newbie to cupcake decorating, this is definitely something you can easily do with confidence. I am so excited to be sharing this recipe idea with you, and would love to hear if you make some to share with your own family this Christmas!

Mix and bake the vanilla cupcakes according to recipe (below), and allow them to cool completely before adding any frosting. Because the frosting is the star on these adorable cupcakes, I would recommend using a neutral color of cupcake liners, like white or black liners.

A few tips for making successful cupcakes:

• All ingredients should be at room temperature
• Don't over-mix the batter
• Fill cupcake liners 2/3-3/4 full
• Remove cupcakes from the pan to cool

While the cupcakes are cooling, mix up the buttercream frosting. Gather two small bowls, and add one cup of frosting to each. In one bowl, add some black gel food coloring and yellow gel food coloring to the other. Mix some red gel food coloring into the rest of the frosting.

Use a medium cookie scoop to add a scoop of red frosting to the top of each cupcake. To flatten the top of the mound of frosting, turn the cupcakes upside-down on a baking sheet lined with silicone baking mat. Freeze the cupcakes while they are on the sheet for a few minutes, and then peel the cupcakes away from the mat. Now the cupcakes are smooth, flat, and ready for decorating!

Scoop the black frosting into a piping bag with #4 decorating tip. Add a thick line of black frosting across the center of the cupcake to make the belt.

Next, scoop the yellow frosting into another piping bag with #4 decorating tip. Pipe a square of yellow frosting around the center of the black line to create the belt buckle.

Last, but not least, pipe two dots of black frosting in the center of the cupcake above the belt to make the buttons on Santa's suit.

Santa Belt Christmas Cupcakes

Servings: 18 cupcakes

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Vanilla Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup unsalted sweet cream butter, slightly softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg whites

Vanilla Cupcake Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325º F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vanilla.
4. Use a stand mixer (with the paddle attachment) to beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
5. Reduce the speed to medium-low. Slowly add the egg and egg whites, one at a time, and beat until creamy.
6. Slowly add half the flour mixture, then the milk mixture, then the remaining flour mixture. Beat until just blended after each addition.
7. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners. 
8. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:

• 4 ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
• Gel food coloring - red, black, yellow

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Directions:

1. Using a standing mixer with a paddle beater, cream the butter and vanilla until combined.
2. Mix in 2 cups of powdered sugar on low speed until combined; the frosting will look like pebbles.
3. Mix in the remaining powdered sugar and slowly increase mixing speed to medium.
4. Pour in the heavy whipping cream and continue to beat the frosting until it is combined and smooth.
5. In two small bowls, add about 1 cup of frosting each.
6. In one bowl, mix in a few drops of yellow gel food coloring. Scoop into a piping bag with a #4 decorating tip.
7. In the second bowl, mix in a few drops of black gel food coloring. Scoop into a piping bag with a #4 decorating tip.
8. Using the remaining frosting in the mixing bowl, add in several drops of red gel food coloring to create the red frosting.

Cupcake Decorating Directions:

1. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop a mound of red frosting onto the top of a cooled cupcake.
2. Carefully place the cupcake upside down on a silicone baking mat so that the top of the frosting mound is flattened. Repeat for the remaining cupcakes.
3. Place cupcakes into the freezer for 10 minutes or until the frosting is firm. This allows you to get the smooth frosting layer!
4. Carefully peel the frosted cupcakes off of the silicone baking mat.
5. Pipe a thick line of black frosting across the center of the cupcake to create the belt.
6. Create an open square with the yellow frosting in the center of the black line to create the belt buckle.
7. Pipe two dots of black frosting above the buckle for the buttons.

Tips: 

• Storage: Store cupcakes in an airtight container for up to one week.
• Freeze: Cupcakes can be frozen! Be sure that the cupcakes are completely cool, unfrosted, and are wrapped well in plastic wrap and then placed in a freezer bag. Before frosting and serving, thaw cupcakes in the fridge overnight or for a couple of hours at room temperature.

These Santa Belt Christmas Cupcakes are such a fun dessert to make and share this holiday season! If you decide to give this recipe a try, I'd love to hear all about it! Please share your creations on Instagram, Facebook, or leave a comment/photo on the project pin on Pinterest!

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