Description
These Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cupcakes are a festive and delicious holiday treat featuring moist vanilla cupcakes combined with cream cheese frosting blended with crumbled Christmas Tree cakes. Decorated with green sanding sugar and a drizzle of red frosting, these cupcakes are perfect for holiday celebrations and party dessert tables.
Ingredients
Scale
Cupcakes
- ¾ cup butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Frosting
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 10 Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Red gel food coloring (to taste)
- Green sanding sugar
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pans: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cupcake pans with paper liners to prepare for baking.
- Cream butter and sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and sugar. Cream on medium speed until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes with a hand mixer.
- Add eggs, oil, and vanilla: Add in the eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined.
- Add milk: Pour in the milk and mix until combined. The batter may look curdled, which is normal.
- Add dry ingredients: Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed until most of the flour is incorporated, then increase to medium speed and beat until fully combined.
- Fill cupcake liners: Fill each cupcake liner half to two-thirds full with batter.
- Bake cupcakes: Bake in the preheated oven for 16 minutes or until edges are slightly golden. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare frosting base: In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese, and salt on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Add vanilla and sugar: Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar to the bowl. Mix on low speed until combined and smooth.
- Process Christmas Tree cakes: Pulse the 10 Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes in a food processor until they are finely crumbled and creamy.
- Combine cakes with frosting: Add the crumbled cakes to the frosting and mix on medium speed with a paddle attachment until smooth and evenly incorporated.
- Prepare red drizzle frosting: Remove ½ cup of frosting into a separate bowl. Stir in milk and red gel food coloring until well combined. Transfer this to a piping bag or plastic storage bag.
- Pipe main frosting: Place the remaining frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star or round tip. Pipe a tall swirl of frosting on each cooled cupcake.
- Drizzle red frosting: Cut a small hole at the end of the bag with red frosting and drizzle over each cupcake by moving the bag back and forth gently.
- Sprinkle green sugar: Sprinkle green sanding sugar evenly on top of the frosted cupcakes for decoration.
- Storage: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 to 7 days. They can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Notes
- Ensure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature for smooth frosting.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can crush the Christmas Tree cakes by hand or with a mixer, but the texture may be less smooth.
- Use a large round tip if your frosting contains cake bits to avoid clogging the star tip.
- Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting to prevent melting.
- Green sanding sugar adds festive color but can be substituted with colored sprinkles if preferred.
- For a dairy-free option, substitute butter and cream cheese with vegan alternatives and use plant-based milk.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
