Chocolate Rudolph Reindeer Cupcakes (video)
Rudolph Cupcakes - easy, cute, kid-friendly, and delicious. Adorable reindeer-decorated cupcakes made with chocolate buttercream, M&M's, candy eyes, Nilla wafers, and pretzels.
Equipment
- Oven
- Cupcake pan
- Cupcake tin
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 175 grams all-purpose flour
- 160 ml buttermilk
- 120 ml vegetable oil
- 180 grams light brown sugar
- 75 grams dark chocolate
- 50 grams cocoa powder
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 egg yolk
- 1,5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 espresso cold
- 1 pinch of salt
Chocolate Buttercream
- 125 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- 100 grams powdered sugar
- 30 grams cacao powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Reindeer decorations
- 24 candy eyes
- 12 M&M's red or brown for noses
- 12 Nilla Wafers for muzzles or another round cookie
- 24 Pretzels for antlers
Instructions
Chocolate cupcakes
- Preheat the conventional oven to 165℃ / 330 °F. Position an oven rack in the center position. Prepare a muffin pan and place the muffin cups in it.
- Sieve all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix them together.175 grams all-purpose flour, 50 grams cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 pinch of salt
- Mix all the liquid ingredients together in a large mixing bowl with a ladle until solved.160 ml buttermilk, 120 ml vegetable oil, 180 grams light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 egg yolk, 1 espresso, 1,5 tsp vanilla extract
- Mix the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with a whisk until solved. Chop the dark chocolate into little chunks and add it to the mixture.75 grams dark chocolate
- Divide the cupcake batter over cups with an ice cream scoop or two spoons. Make sure that the cupcake cups are 3/4 full with the cupcake batter. Don't overfill! Bake at 165℃ / 330 °F for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pan completely on a cooling rack before turning out of the pan and frosting
Chocolate Holiday Frosting
- Take the butter out of the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before making the buttercream, and soften it at room temperature.
- Mix the butter (room temperature) on the highest setting for 5 minutes. The longer the butter is beaten, the fluffier the buttercream becomes.125 grams unsalted butter
- Gradually the powdered sugar. Mix everything well each time with a mixer on the lowest setting, until everything is well dissolved. Turn the mixing speed up to medium-high and beat for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla extract, cocoa powder, and salt.100 grams powdered sugar, 30 grams cacao powder, pinch of salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Frost the cupcakes. Make sure that the cupcakes are cooled down completely before decorating!
Decorate the Rudolph Cupcakes
- Now it's time to make your most beautiful reindeer cupcakes. Look at the picture of the Rudolf cupcakes as an example. Place a Nilla Wafer at the bottom of the cupcake. Place two sugar eyes on top and place them next to each other so that it becomes a face. Place two mini pretzels above the sugar eyes. Grab a red or a brown M&M. Spread a little chocolate buttercream on top and place it in the middle on top of the Nilla Wafer.24 candy eyes, 12 M&M's, 12 Nilla Wafers, 24 Pretzels
- I hope this helps! Have a wonderful holiday season!
Video
Notes
Storage
Homemade chocolate cupcakes without topping or decoration can be stored for 4-5 days in an airtight container outside the refrigerator. Undecorated cupcakes can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tips
- Bake in grams. Use a kitchen scale to properly measure your baked goods.
- Don’t overmix the batter
- Don’t overfill your cupcakes
- Don’t overbake the cupcakes
- Don’t open the oven door while baking.
- Use room temperature ingredients
- Use an ice scoop to divide the batter into cupcake tins.
- Check doneness with toothpick test
Nutrition
Calories: 526kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 6gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 215mgPotassium: 285mgFiber: 5gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 592IUVitamin C: 0.04mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
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