Candy Cane Christmas Tree Cupcakes
I went to a Christmas party last weekend that ended up being the inspiration for these decorated cupcakes. The home of the party was filled with sugar and pink and the absolute sweetest decorations. Wait until you see. I’ll show you soon. Maybe tomorrow. I still need to edit all the photos I took because it really deserves it’s own post.
But back to cupcakes. I was playing around with decorating, so I just used a cake mix for these cupcakes. But if you decide to try them, use a recipe that is more dense, more pound-cake than fluffy because the weight of the trees can cause them to tumble if you’re not careful.
Anyway… Christmas Tree Cupcakes. You’ve seen them before, I’m sure.
They use sugar cones for the base of the tree. But all the ones I’ve seen use the entire cone and then rest it on the top of the cupcake like these from Martha Stewart. This would obviously make sense if I was smart.
But no, I wanted them to be smaller … (go figure)… and stand above the cupcake with candy cane stems.
Just like this. Pretty cute.
But, just a little plain I think.
So, I tinted some fondant and made little presents to go under the tree. And these snowflake sprinkles made perfect little bows.
See…
I think I could have stopped here and they would be just fine.
Instead, I added some pink, blue and white confetti sprinkles for decorations.
What do you think? Too much? or Too cute?
To decorate, you’ll need:
Cupcakes
Sugar Cones
White Candy Melts
White Sugar crystals
Frosting
Pink Sugar crystals
Candy Canes
Fondant
Icing colors (I used Wilton Dusty Rose & )
Snowflake Sprinkles
Confetti Sprinkles
- Cut off ends of the sugar cones, so the tree section is around 3 inches long. Use a serrated knife to carefully saw through without shattering the cone.
- Dip cone sections in melted white candy coating. If you use a tall plastic cup, it will be easier to coat the entire cone.
- Remove and let excess coating fall off.
- Sprinkle white sugar crystals or sanding sugar over entire surface of the cone. Sprinkle over a large bowl and you can reuse the sprinkles.
- Set on wax paper to dry completely. When dry, you can redip the bottoms to make sure the cone is completely coated.
- Use 6 inch long candy canes and break the handles off so you are left with a straight piece that’s around 5 inches.
- Cover cupcakes with tinted pink frosting.
- Fill a small dish with the pink sugar crystals or sanding sugar and press cupcake tops into the dish until the entire surface is covered with sugar cyrstals.
- Dip one end of the candy cane in some of the melted candy coating and insert the other end straight into the cupcake.
- Place a Christmas Tree on top of the candy cane and let the candy coating dry and work like a glue.
- If you want decorations, it would be a good idea to add them before you attach the tree. Just dot a small amount of coating on the surface and attach a colored sprinkle.
- For presents, tint white fondant and shape the fondant into small squares by hand. Then use some of the white fondant, roll it out and use a knife to cut thin strips for ribbon. Attach the white fondant ribbon to the presents with a small dab of water. Then attach the snowflake sprinkles the same way.
- Remember, use dense cupcakes instead of light and fluffy ones so the trees will not want to tip.
- Or skip the candy canes, use the entire sugar cone and make big trees. Then you won’t have to worry.
Either way… enjoy!
P.S. The baking cups are from confectioneryhouse.com in case you’re wondering,
I made EGGNOG cupcakes today from Natalie, a new bakerella friend in the UK, I think I will decorate them like this tomorrow and post later this week! You inspire something higher in me Bakerella, Merry Christmas!
Definitely TOO CUTE!! Love them. I love pink in Christmas things, makes it so retro.
Very cute! You could also use Starburst candies for presents.
You are featured in the Sunday Sweets section today on cakewrecks.com. They did a feature on awesome Christmas cupcakes and 2 of yours are featured.
too cute!!! absolutely love these…am going to have to try my hand at this one!
TOO CUTE! My two boys even loved them!
Wow these are so good!! So pretty and festive I love them!
So sweet!!!!!!!!!
These are sweet! I have my final fondant cake decorating class tonight, and I have to make a two tiered cake. I was stumped on ideas of how I can incorporate a winter theme (instead of just turning the cakes into fondant wrapped gifts). I have green candy melts and coloured sugar, so I will try with those, and add them to the top! :) I hope they turn out as pretty as yours.
Thanks for inspiring me! And thank you to my patient wife, who actually let us get rid of our dishwasher to give me more space for baking stuff :o) Behind every great woman, there’s usually, well, another great woman! :) Happy Holidays Bakerella!
dearest bakerella,
you are extremely talented, very creative, gifted & i truly enjoy your site!
wishing you a very joyous holiday season & i hope that santa fulfills my wish (& those of all your loyal fans) with a bakerella cookbook…inspiration book…for 2010!!
Qué maravilla de árboles de Navidad.
Me he quedado maravillada.
Mil gracias a todo el equipo de Bakarella.
So cute! This would be a fun family project for the holidays.
So adorable! I love them!
Love it! What a great idea.
Maybe next year I will try that for the kids
Merry Christmas
TWO WORDS: ADORABLY PERFECT or PERFECTLY ADORABLE !!!! Once again Bakerella–you hit the nail on the head!! THIS ARE SIMPLY PERFECT!! PS-loved your cupcake cookies too!! =}
Those cupcakes are so cute! Can’t wait to see the pictures you post from the party!
Adorable. I love them. Definately something I will do with my grandkids next year.
pscole3467 at gmail dot com
Way too cute! I want one, right now
Why is it that anything in miniature form is just adorable???
These are just that….adorable! I might have time to make them….in March Ü
So pretty! Those are adorable!
Absolutely the cutest! How do you find the time? Happiest of holidays to you and yours!!!
VERY cute! :D
Have a Wonderful Christmas! ?
amazing as always! Love them!
Nah, they’re perfect! Over-the-top cuteness…which is always “just right”!!! They’re gorgeous Bakerella – but I’d expect nothing less! ;o)
Merry Christmas!
My 10 year old is going to try these today ( with my assistance), if they turn out well she is goin to take them to our family dinner on christmas eve. Wish her luck, I will keep you posted. Thanks for the inspiration.
This looks so amazing!
i just fainted from the the cuteness!!!!!!! love ya!
These are adorable!!
never too much!! They are so cute, and I can’t wait to see the party pictures. On second thought, I might become jealous when I see them… so post when you may. Merry Christmas to everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh they are fantastic! The minute I saw them I thought they looked very Dr. Seuss. I love them!
I checked out Matha’s and yours are was more cooler!
very cute!
Adorable! Wish I had somewhere to take these so I would have an excuse to make them. I just made some “snowglobe” cupcakes inspired by Bakerella last year..so Maybe I will make these in 2010!
These are adorable! How does anyone manage to eat your creations? I’d have them lined up in my kitchen with a “do not touch” sign! Super creative!
Definitely adorable. Hands down. They look like they’d be a perfect addition to any holiday party. I just wish I had a muffin tin so I could make some of my own!
WOW!
Perfect little trees! Not too much at all, too cute!
Adorable! I don’t think I could every make them, but they are absolutely adorable! Great job, you are so creative!
Wow, I think this is one of the most impresive desserts I’ve ever seen, and of course the most impresive cupcake. Bakerella, you are GENIUS!
You made me want to make my friends a christmas party with all those baking ideas you wrote, and I’m not even christian!
I’m some 14 years old girl from Israel who is really in love with your ideas
WOW, WOW, WOW! Soooo cute!
how cute! i love them! i have a picture of me (Flat Alice) with you from a book signing in Atlanta. i love it! it’s featured in a post on my blog :) the shadow of the cross. merry Christmas, Bakerella!http://theshadowofthecross.blogspot.com/2009/12/flat-alice-meets-pioneer-woman.html
You are so creative!! I love these.
This has got to be the MOST adorable cupcake creation I have ever seen!!!!!! I wish I had the time to re-create it before Christmas, I know my daughter and he cousins would be head over heels for them.
So adorable! How do you sleep at night with all of these awesome ideas swimming in that head of yours?!?! You’re amazing woman!
Definitely love them with the decorations on the trees! Cute cute cute!
SOOOOO much cuter than the Martha ones!
You amaze me!
Thanks for all you do, and Merry Christmas!
oh my heck must go to the store now and getting stuff it is our friend party at my house tonight I am so making these the kids will flip running right now!!!!!! thanks for all your cute ideas you make us all look so good to our friends.
Merry Christmas!!!!!!
i’m loving that its not the typical red white and green! adorable.i love the confetti. sooo not too much
Very cute! You are so creative and PATIENT:)
Once again you have out done yourself – these are adorable! I can’t imagine cutting through the cone without breaking the whole thing. Maybe I’ll give it a whirl…
Thanks!!
Tres cute. So cute, I’d be afraid to eat them!
… but I still would :)
not to much, TOO CUTE!!!
They are adorable! You are so talented!
i actually like these better than the one sitting right on the cupcake. too cute!!!
lovely, i’ll try this for Crhistmas Dinner
Wow! I’d never have the patience for that, but I’m glad you do! These are beautiful!
Really sweet! I would love to hear what kind of camera you use. I am in the market for a new one, and need to know what will take great pics like yours! Any photo tips? Thanks!!!
Dear Bonny Bakerella,
I love them, my dear. You did it again! Everything is cuter when it’s tiny. I was just telling PW (for her contest) that we don’t put up a Christmas tree but I may take that back becuase these tiny trees would be totally my thing. Does eating them constitute ‘taking down the Christmas tree’? If so, I may be doing that every day ’til Spring. I’m thinking instead of messing with fondant I will buy the “Fave Reds” box of Starbursts and cut them to different sizes for the gifts. Starbursts are moldable if you warm them for just a second.
Love,
You got me tree-d in NE
Oh so cute!
my first words when i saw these adorable treats was: ‘oh would you just please stop’!!!! i have no more time to do anymore baking but you keeping posting these MOST wonderful ideas! YIKES-how DO you do it? blessings and happy christmas to you! :)
amazingly too cute! you are inspiring~ where can i buy these J/K!!
Totally in love with these. So cute and perfect for a winter baby or bridal shower, too. Or with just a little change in color, I can definitely see these at woodland-themed birthday party. I’m all around in love. You’re amazing.
Merry Christmas!
These are gorgeous cupcakes! I think the next best talent you have besides being an artist is your patience. Cupcakes like these are not only gorgeous they were a time consuming event with an attention to detail. Nice job. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Ugh, too cute!! I only say “ugh” because I’m jealous. Mine would look like sad little Charlie Brown tree cupcakes, and not in a cute “true spirit of Christmas” kind of way, but in the “eh, close enough, screw it” kind of way. :) Merry Christmas!!
LOVE THEM~
So cute! Don’t tell Martha, but I like yours better!
Perfect! I LOVE the presents and extra details! What a sweet Christmas treat!
This is sooo cute! Love it :)
Oh man, those are just too darn cute!
These are too cute ! Thanks for all your inspiration….you’re amazing. Merry Christmas
I love them. I like them better than Martha’s trees.
Absolutely ADORABLE, as always! You are so creative and such an inspiration! Thanks for sharing! Merry Christmas!
Sometimes in grocery stores I’ve seen mini cones. Now I’m going to start looking for them. That would help with the size of the cones, I’m not too adapt at cutting cones. Your cupcakes are just too cute!!! They inspire me to try new things!! Thank you!!
Not to be mean but yours are way cuter than Martha’s! So flippin’ adorable!!
I think they’re perfectly adorable!
These are just the COOLEST!! I feel like they have been made by a who in Whoville!
i´m a sprinkle lover!! these are too cute!
i think your sugar cones here are called “cucuruchos”.
Absolutely ridiculously cute! Love!
they are Adorable!! Your creativity amazes me :)
Too stinkin’ cute.
love them
If only to be inside of your head… Your creativity just amazes me.
I love bakerella. blessings
Way too cute – as usual! :) Merry Christmas!
TOO CUTE…hands down. And I love when people decorate with pastels instead of primary colors!! I’m crazy about them!
TOO CUTE! TOO CUTE!!
Too cute! I don’t think I can resist from trying to make these.
This is really cute. Of course, I think it would be really nifty to make a mix of cake balls up (maybe chocolate cake with peppermint-flavored frosting), fill the cone, and dip and decorate the entire thing. Maybe I’ll do that for Christmas!
NOT too Much at all!! I LOVE these. One of my favorite things so far!!!
These are ADORABLE!! I love them! I’m not talented enough to make them, but I love them!
You are one creative genius.
Super Cute!
Your creations just make me smile a mile wide!
These are just allll kind of cuteness!! Visit your site and LOVE your creations. I just have to get up the nerve to try one.
Cute! Love the presents. Looking forward to the next post. Merry Christmas!
SO. ADORABLE. I love your blog so much.
Adorable!
These are gorgeous! I want to come to all your parties! :)
Too cute…no question about it.
Oh no, these must be made as soon as possible.
They are perfect right down to the last adorable sprinkle.