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    Home » All Desserts » By Holiday » Christmas

    Published: Dec 3, 2021 · Modified: Nov 30, 2022 by Claire

    Reindeer Cupcakes

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·★★★★★5 from 1 review

    These all-frosting (no fondant necessary) reindeer cupcakes are sure to be a fun addition to your holiday dessert line-up!

    front view of christmas cupcake ideas: reindeer cupcakes

    Unpopular opinion: Fondant is totally overrated.

    Don't get me wrong, there's a lot you can do with fondant that's hard to achieve with other sugar art mediums. BUT when was the last time you actually ate the fondant on the cake or thought "Oh, fondant, my favorite!" as you popped a piece of the flavorless, Laffy Taffy wannabe into your mouth?

    Apparently I have some strong feelings about eating fondant.

    But you know what I also feel strongly about? The fact that you can never go wrong with more frosting.

    Whether it's multi-flavored, straight out of a container or piled so high you'll have to unhinge your jaw just to get that bite, I say yes, yes and that's a medical bill I'm willing to take.

    So if you're ready to hop on the Christmas train to frosting town, first stop cuteness overload, keep reading to learn how to make these reindeer cupcakes.

    Here's how to make these reindeer cupcakes

    First, make or buy a dozen cupcakes.

    If you plan to make your own cupcakes and are looking for something decadently delicious, I highly recommend my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe.

    But if you need to save some time, there's no shame in purchasing cupcakes (most grocery store bakeries will sell them to you sans-frosting) or using a box mix. You can make a box mix taste nearly homemade with these boxed cake mix hacks.

    flatlay of baked chocolate cupcakes.

    Second, make your frosting.

    For these cupcakes, we'll be using two kinds of frosting: A chocolate buttercream and a vanilla buttercream.

    A note on store bought vs. homemade frosting: Although you can use store bought frosting for this tutorial, I don't recommend it. The frosting we'll be making is a crusting buttercream, which means we'll be able to do things with it that won't work as well on store bought frosting, which doesn't crust in the same way.

    Since the chocolate buttercream will create the first layer of frosting on the cupcakes, you'll want to start with that.

    In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter on high. Add the baking cocoa, powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat on medium until smooth.

    Repeat the same steps with the ingredients for the vanilla buttercream, adding a little brown food coloring so the frosting is a beige/light brown color, reserving a few tablespoons of the white frosting.

    Third, make the antlers.

    Melt a few ounces of dark chocolate and spoon it into a piping bag. Snip a small hole in the end and pipe antler shaped pieces of chocolate onto a piece of parchment paper. Be sure to make extras in case any break.

    Finally, frost the cupcakes.

    Spoon the chocolate buttercream into a piping bag with a large, round tip (I used an Ateco 809). Pipe a large dollop of frosting that fills up approximately half of the surface of the middle of the cupcake.

    Try to keep the tip of the piping bag about ½" from the surface of the cupcake so the frosting doesn't get too thick.

    Once all of the cupcakes are frosted, place a sheet of parchment paper onto a baking sheet.

    Press the cupcakes frosting side down onto the parchment paper, gently pressing and rolling ever so slightly until the frosting presses its way out to the edge of the cupcakes. Refrigerate for approximately 5-10 minutes.

    Peel the cupcakes off of the parchment paper.

    Overhead view of steps for frosting reindeer cupcakes.

    Fill another piping bag with the light brown frosting and clip the tip to create a medium-size, round opening. Either free-handing or using a heart shaped cookie cutter to create a guide on the chocolate frosting, pipe a heart shape on the lower half of the cupcakes.

    Once all of the cupcakes are frosted, use the same parchment paper technique to gently smooth and fill out the heart. Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes.

    Using a warm offset spatula or butter knife, create a cut in the light brown frosting down the middle of the heart, leaving about ¼" of uncut frosting at the end.

    Overhead view of steps for frosting reindeer cupcakes.

    Tint some of the remaining frosting black.

    Use the black frosting to create eyes and the nose. With the leftover white frosting, create spots and reflections on the open eyes and nose.

    With the remaining light brown frosting, use a leaf frosting tip (like a Wilton 366) to pipe ears onto the tops of the cupcake.

    Add the chocolate antlers.

    overhead view of frosted reindeer cupcakes on a gold cooling rack.

    Expert tips

    • The secret to smooth, air-bubble free frosting: Once the frosting has come together, turn your stand mixer down to low and continue beating for about 5 minutes. This should work out most of the air bubbles.
    • Using a different kind of frosting: This recipe makes a traditional American buttercream frosting. If you'd like something a little less sweet, feel free to swap it for a Swiss meringue or Italian meringue buttercream at a one to one ratio. I don't recommend using pre-fab, store bought frosting for these cupcakes.
    • Fill that piping bag like a pro: Spoon your frosting onto a large piece of plastic wrap, roll and twist the ends. Trim one end so there’s about ½” in length, drop your frosting into the piping bag (short end first) with the tip already on and pipe!
    • Using a cookie cutter to create a guide for piping the nose/mouth area: A heart shaped cookie cutter creates a great guide for where the light frosting should go. For these cupcakes, I used a cookie cutter that was 2.75" across at the widest point.
    • Getting the perfect dots of frosting as reflections in the eyes: Sometimes it can be difficult to get the dots of white frosting small enough. An easy trick: Use a toothpick to pick up a little bit of frosting and gently swirl it into the black frosting.
    • Storing frosted cupcakes: While cupcakes are always best when eaten the same day they’re made, these can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for 1-2 days.
    reindeer cupcakes on a plate with a pitcher of milk and bottle brush trees in background.

    Frequently asked questions

    How do you make edible reindeer antlers?

    Melted chocolate is a great way to make edible reindeer antlers. Simply melt the chocolate in a double boiler (bowl over a pot of boiling water) or microwave, spoon into a piping bag and pipe out antlers.

    What's the difference between American buttercream and other buttercreams?

    The difference lies in the ingredients and how it's made. American buttercream is simply butter and powdered sugar (and maybe a little milk and extract) whipped together, which produces a firm, pale off-white frosting.

    Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Better still, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram with #thesimplesweetlife. I love seeing your creations!

    Print

    Recipe

    Reindeer Cupcakes

    overhead view of frosted reindeer cupakes
    Print Recipe

    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 review

    Looking for some easy Christmas cupcake ideas? These all-frosting (no fondant necessary) reindeer cupcakes have you covered!

    • Author: Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life
    • Prep Time: 45 minutes
    • Total Time: 45 minutes
    • Yield: 12 1x
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: American

    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    For the cupcakes and decorations:

    • 12 cupcakes
    • Black and brown food gel coloring
    • 2 ounces chocolate

    For the chocolate buttercream frosting:

    • 10 tbsp butter, at room temperature
    • ⅓ cup baking cocoa
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • ½ tsp vanilla extract

    For the vanilla buttercream:

    • 8 tbsp butter, at room temperature
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract

    Instructions

    1. Make or purchase 12 cupcakes.
    2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter for the chocolate buttercream frosting.
    3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the baking cocoa, powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat on low until smooth.
    4. Repeat the same steps for the vanilla buttercream. Set a few tablespoons of white frosting aside and coloring the remaining vanilla buttercream a light brown.
    5. Melt the chocolate.
    6. Spoon the chocolate into a piping bag, snip a small hole in the bottom and pipe antler shaped pieces of chocolate onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Make sure to pipe extras.
    7. Refrigerate chocolate until ready for use.
    8. Spoon the chocolate buttercream into a piping bag with a large, round tip.
    9. Pipe a large dollop of frosting onto the cupcakes, keeping the tip about ½" from the surface. The frosting should cover the middle half of the cupcakes.
    10. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
    11. Gently place the cupcakes frosting side down, rolling slightly and pressing until the frosting evenly covers the top of the cupcakes.
    12. Place the cupcakes in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes, or until they cleanly peel away from the parchment.
    13. Spoon the light brown frosting into a piping bag, snip a medium size round hole in the tip, and pipe the lower half of the face on in a heart shape.
    14. Repeat the same technique with the parchment paper to smooth and distribute the light brown frosting.
    15. Using a warm butter knife or offset spatula, cut a line down the middle of the light brown frosting, stopping about ¼" from the edge.
    16. Tint some of the remaining frosting black, and use the black and white frosting to pipe on eyes, noses and spots.
    17. Use a leaf shaped piping tip, pipe ears onto the deer using the light brown frosting.
    18. Add the chocolate antlers.

    Notes

    • The secret to smooth, air-bubble free frosting: Once the frosting has come together, turn your stand mixer down to low and continue beating for about 5 minutes. This should work out most of the air bubbles.
    • Using a different kind of frosting: This recipe makes a traditional American buttercream frosting. If you'd like something a little less sweet, feel free to swap it for a Swiss meringue or Italian meringue buttercream at a one to one ratio. I don't recommend using pre-fab, store bought frosting for these cupcakes.
    • Fill that piping bag like a pro: Spoon your frosting onto a large piece of plastic wrap, roll and twist the ends. Trim one end so there’s about ½” in length, drop your frosting into the piping bag (short end first) with the tip already on and pipe!
    • Using a cookie cutter to create a guide for piping the nose/mouth area: A heart shaped cookie cutter creates a great guide for where the light frosting should go. For these cupcakes, I used a cookie cutter that was 2.75" across at the widest point.
    • Getting the perfect dots of frosting as reflections in the eyes: Sometimes it can be difficult to get the dots of white frosting small enough. An easy trick: Use a toothpick to pick up a little bit of frosting and gently swirl it into the black frosting.
    • Storing frosted cupcakes: While cupcakes are always best when eaten the same day they’re made, these can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for 1-2 days.

    Keywords: christmas cupcake ideas, reindeer cupcakes, cupcakes to make with kids

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @thesimplesweetlifeblog on Instagram and hashtag it #thesimplesweetlife

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    1. Sue says

      December 16, 2021 at 4:31 pm

      These cupcakes are adorable!! I love them.

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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    I'm Claire, the baker, blogger, and general sprinkle enthusiast behind The Simple, Sweet Life. Whether you like simple sweets, comfort (baked) foods, or works of sugar art, you're sure to find something here to sweeten your day!

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