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Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring-ting-tingling, too..
I can’t believe the holidays are already almost upon us! With all the ups and downs that 2020 has brought, I think the holidays are one of the few things that we’ve had to look forward to this year! With that said, I’ve been busy planning Christmas content and recipes to share with you, and today, I’m spreading some cheer with 2 easy cupcake recipes that I made using the KitchenAid 7 Speed Cordless Hand Mixer! Plus, I’ll be giving 1 lucky person a chance to win the mixer! Read on for more details!
The recipes, themselves, are pretty simple (and obviously, delicious). These cupcakes are a little bit more about how you dress them up. As you can see, they have sugared cranberries and fun Christmas tree toppers that you can easily make at home! While equally as cute and festive, there’s one for the vanilla lovers and one for the chocolate lovers. Serve these as dessert for your Christmas dinner, or wrap them up and gift to your loved ones!
I always say that I’ve never been a big baker. But I must admit that my interest has definitely grown over the last year. This is, in part, due to my little nieces, who love to bake with me whenever we get together. And it’s also, in part, due to the fact that I now have the appropriate tools in the kitchen.
Living in a downtown Toronto loft, we don’t have that much room in the kitchen to play with, let alone plugs! I could also never seem to find a hand mixer that I loved. Enter: the KitchenAid Cordless Suite, which I’ve been using and loving for the last few months.
The Cordless Suite has 3 products: the Cordless Variable Speed Hand Blender, the 5 Cup Cordless Food Chopper, and the 7 Speed Cordless Hand Mixer. I use all 3 religiously and they save me a tonne of time and hassle (as I shared in this video on my Instagram channel). It’s so helpful to not have to fumble around for a plug every time I want to blend, chop, or mix something. I can use each of these products on any surface in my house, which comes in handy for creating content as a food blogger too! Whether you’re a food blogger, a foodie, home chef, or just love to cook and bake delicious treats, the cordless suite will give you so much more flexibility and space to handily make whatever your heart desires! With the holidays around the corner, there’s no better time to gift yourself a product from the KitchenAid Cordless Suite 😉 (or see below for how you can enter to possibly win one).
The KitchenAid 7 Speed Cordless Hand Mixer was absolutely indispensable for these recipes. I used it for the cupcake batter and the frosting for each of the cupcakes. One of the things I love most about it is the design, which enables it to stand upright on its own, thereby taking up less counter space. As its name suggests, it has 7 speeds and a soft start feature which brings the beaters up to your desired speed gradually. This is very helpful for keeping flour inside of a mixing bowl, let me just tell you 😊. On full charge, you can make up to 200 cookies; and then to recharge completely, it only takes 2 hours or less.
…But I digress – back to the cupcake recipes!
The white one is a vanilla cupcake topped with a white chocolate butter cream and sugared cranberries, and the dark one is a simple chocolate cupcake topped with white frosting, coconut shavings, and the cutest lil’ Christmas tree toppers! Each is incredibly moist, yummy, easy to make, and totally holiday-appropriate. You’ll wow your loved ones on Christmas Day. Here are the recipes.
Sugared Cranberry-Topped Vanilla Cupcakes
These vanilla cupcakes are incredibly moist and delicious. They're topped with a white chocolate buttercream frosting and then studded with sugared cranberries. Sprinkle on some coconut shavings to look like snow and make them even more holiday-appropriate!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour hr
Cook Time 16 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 16 minutes mins
Servings 24 cupcakes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 2 1/4 + 2/3 cup sugar (1/4 cup for the sugared cranberries, 1 cup for the cupcake batter & 1 1/3 cup for the frosting)
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 3/4 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
- 3/4 + 1 1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 cup for the cupcake batter & 1 1/3 cups for the frosting)
- 3 eggs
- 4 egg whites
- 6 oz white chocolate
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract (1 1/2 tsp. for the cupcake batter + 3/4 tsp. for the frosting)
- 170 g cranberries 1/2 standard size bag
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
To make the sugared cranberries: Wash cranberries and strain. Add 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 water to a small pot on medium-low heat. Heat while stirring to dissolve the sugar, but do not bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add cranberries. Coat evenly in syrup and then place on a wire rack to dry for 1 hour. Then roll in sugar.
To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Add all-purpose flour, cake flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add 3/4 cups of butter and mix on medium-low speed. Add eggs, one at a time, and continue to mix. Add buttermilk and 1 1/2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract. Bring speed up to medium-high and continue to mix until combined well.Line cupcake tins with liners. Fill each liner 3/4 of the way to the top. Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
To make the white chocolate buttercream frosting: Melt white chocolate in the microwave. Whisk the egg whites and 1 1/3 cups of sugar over a bain marie. When the sugar is completely dissolved, remove from the heat and place in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.Whip in 1 1/3 cups of butter, a bit at a time. Stir in 3/4 tsp. of pure vanilla extract and melted chocolate. If the frosting is too runny, place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Otherwise, transfer a piping bag and then pipe over cupcakes.
When the sugared cranberries are ready, add 3 to the top of each cupcake. Serve and enjoy!
White Chocolate Christmas Tree Cupcakes
The cutest and most festive cupcakes you can have for the holidays! Each is topped with a homemade Christmas tree topper (which you could also enjoy on its own, as a snack!).
Print Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes mins
Cook Time 16 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 1 minute min
Servings 24 cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cups cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. sea or kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (3/4 cups for the cupcake batter and 1/4 cup for the frosting)
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 tsp. pure vanilla extract (2 tsp. for the cupcake batter & 1 tsp. for the frosting)
- 1 cup milk
- 3/8 cups mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup dark green candy melts
- pretzel sticks
- assorted sprinkles
- shredded coconut flakes
Instructions
To make the Christmas tree toppers: Melt dark green candy melts according to package directions. Let cool enough to transfer to a piping bag and pipe, but don't let cool completely. On a baking tray lined with a silicon baking mat, place pretzel sticks about 1-2 inches apart. In a side to side direction, pipe the shape of a Christmas tree on top of the pretzel sticks. Immediately top with sprinkles and a yellow candy star. Place in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. When ready to use, lift each topper using an offset spatula.
To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. In a separate mixing bowl, add 3/4 cups of butter and sugar and mix on medium-low speed to cream together. Add eggs, one at a time, and continue to mix. Add milk and 2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients and continue to mix. Bring speed up to medium-high and continue to mix until combined well. Line cupcake tins with liners. Fill each liner 3/4 of the way to the top. Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
To make the frosting: Cream together 1/4 cups of butter and mascarpone. Add powdered sugar, 1 tsp. of vanilla extract and continue to mix until well incorporated.
To assemble the cupcakes: using an offset spatula, spread frosting on top of each cupcake. Sprinkle shredded coconut flakes on top and then insert Christmas tree toppers. Serve and enjoy!
KitchenAid Giveaway
Because I love my KitchenAid Cordless products so much and I want to spread more cheer before the holidays, I’m giving 1 lucky person a chance to win their very own KitchenAid 7 Speed Cordless Hand Mixer (a value of approx. $99.99). To win, you must follow all the rules in this Instagram post. Good luck!
I do hope you try both of these cupcake recipes for the holidays!
*This post was done in partnership with KitchenAid Canada. But as always, all opinions are 100% my own.
