Christmas Tree Cupcakes
Fun to make and even more delicious to eat, these Christmas Tree Cupcakes can be ready in under an hour! The cocoa-flavored cupcakes form the perfect earthy looking base for the green Christmas tree topper cones!
It’s the season to be merry, and everywhere you go there are bright and colorful decorations on tall Christmas trees. Well-dressed Santas and snowmen line streets everywhere, and children play in the snow, but it’s the Christmas trees that steal the show!
Why are Christmas Trees a part of Christmas?
Representing everlasting life in Christ Jesus, the Christmas tree has been a part of homes for centuries. But how did it become a part of Christmas? There are a number of legends.
One legend states that while travelling through Germany to preach to pagans, St. Boniface saw locals about to sacrifice a baby to the god Thor in front of an oak tree.
In anger, the Saint took the name of Jesus and cut down the oak tree with a single swipe of his axe.
Surprisingly, a baby fir sprung up in its place. St. Boniface took this tree as a symbol of the Holy Trinity because it was triangular in shape and pointed up to heaven.
And the tree became a part of the Christian tradition in Germany, and then the rest of the world.
Over time Christmas trees evolved, started getting decorated, and even moved into our homes for Christmas. But the fun part is, there’s place for them on your dessert tray too.
These Christmas tree topper holiday cupcakes are just charming and the perfect way to celebrate the season!
Now, how do you make a Christmas tree with ice cream cones? Follow my Christmas cupcakes recipe below!
Recipe Pointers For Holiday Cupcakes Recipe
- If you don’t have an icing bag, you can simply lather the cones with the green frosting and use a fork to mark leaf lines.
- If you don’t want to use candied decorations or sprinkles, you can simply pipe white or colored dots onto the Christmas tree. (white for snow, colored for trinkets)
- Alternatively, use tiny M&Ms as decorations, or just simply coconut flakes as snow.
- You can add a few drops of vanilla extract to the frosting for added flavor.
- If you’re really in a hurry, you can use store-bought frosting too.
- You can also frost the cupcakes without the ice cream cones, but the trees won’t be as tall as with cones.
- Create a Christmas tree forest and park scene by making these snow globe cupcakes at the same time!
FAQs about Christmas Cupcakes with Tree Cones
Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer first added lighted candles to a tree in 16th century Germany.
He was trying to capture the brilliance of the stars in the night sky shining through the evergreen branches of the trees outside.
The first two towns that put up public Christmas trees were Riga in Latvia in 1510 and Tallin in Estonia in 1441. Both public trees were put up by the Brotherhood of Blackheads.
German settlers in Pennsylvania first put up public Christmas trees in the 1830s. Before that, other Christians believed Christmas trees were a pagan tradition, so the Germans only set up Christmas trees in their own homes. But in the 19th century, Christmas trees became more integrated into American Christmas culture.
A 91-year-old Douglas fir tree in Woodinville, Washington is the tallest living Christmas tree at 122-foot in height.
If kept in the refrigerator, the ice cream cones will get a little less crunchy. You can make the cupcakes a day ahead, but it’s better to frost the cupcakes on the day you are serving them.
You can store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator. However, the cones will lose a bit of their crunch. So it’s best to eat them as soon as possible.
You can make these cupcakes vegan by following my other recipes for vegan cupcakes.
Christmas Tree Cupcakes Recipe
Fun to make and even more delicious to eat, these Christmas Tree Cupcakes can be ready in under an hour! The cocoa-flavored cupcakes form the perfect earthy looking base for the green Christmas tree topper cones!
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- ¼ cup salted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup applesauce, sweetened
- ½ cup baking cocoa
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup warm water
- 12 sugar cones
- Sprinkles and other candied decorations
For the Frosting
- 1 ½ sticks butter (softened)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Green food coloring
- 2 small star tips and 2 small piping bags
Instructions
Making the Cupcakes
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan and line with cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and butter. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute and then on high speed for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating the first for one minute,
before adding the next and beating that egg for one minute before adding in the next one. Mix 1 minute. - Next you are going to alternate adding in the dry ingredients
and applesauce into the wet ingredients. You should begin with the dry and end with the dry (so a cup of the dry, ¼ of the apple sauce, etc.). Repeat till all the ingredients are mixed. Beat on low speed until mixed together. Add in the water until well incorporated. - Fill muffin cups 2/3 with batter and bake for 18-20 minutes, or
until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, add the butter. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute and then on high speed for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and milk.
- Add in 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Slowly add in the rest of the powdered sugar until the frosting forms stiff peaks.
- Put aside 1/3 of the frosting and add in the food coloring to the remaining 2/3.
- Prepare your piping bags and add the plain frosting to one piping bag and frost a thin layer on top of the cupcakes.
- Turn the ice cream cones upside down onto the cupcakes.
- Add the green frosting to the second bag and frost each cone in any pattern you like. The most important thing is to have fun 😊
- Decorate the trees with the candy decorations and enjoy!
Notes
If you do not eat immediately, please note the frosting will make the cones less crunchy but still just as tasty!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 507Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 434mgCarbohydrates: 83gFiber: 2gSugar: 53gProtein: 6g
