These super easy and fun winter snowflake cupcakes will take your baking skills to the next level. If you love decked out cupcakes either for their tastiness, or their eye appeal, you’re in luck on both counts. This easy blend of vanilla and peppermint takes you back to the heyday of cupcake competition shows and specialty bake shops.
A Different Kind of Winter Cupcake
The use of French vanilla cake mix is the basis for creating a fuller and more robust flavoured cupcake that is at once more rewarding than anything you would typically buy at the store. On top of that, the mix itself gets sprinkles which makes for a great surprise within the cake as you take your first bite. With wintery details inside and outside of the cake, this treat stands out as more than just a pretty snack. This winter dessert also makes the perfect Disney’s Frozen snowflake cupcakes for a themed birthday party!
Applying a Winter Frost to Snowflake Cupcakes
The trickiest and most fun part of making an impressive photo-worthy cupcake is applying the frosting. There is a simple process to getting this just right that anybody can do. In the recipe directions for the vanilla frosting, I outline exactly how to get the perfect look on top of your vanilla peppermint cupcakes. All you need to do is use a pastry bag to pipe a ring around the top rim. Then, fill in the centre and top it with a simply decorated peppermint patty. A straightforward snowflake design on the chocolate peppermint disc goes a long way toward the winning presentation of this very unique and flavourful winter dessert.
Snowflake cupcakes recipe
These snowflake cupcakes are topped with peppermint patties and are far more flavourful and interesting than your typical cupcake. This is mainly because I use deeper, richer French vanilla cake mix to start. Unlike other types of vanilla named for the places where the vanilla beans grow, French vanilla is traditionally vanilla ice cream made with a custard base.
French Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes 22 Cupcakes
Kitchen Tools Needed
- 1 large piping bag with large star tip
- Cupcake pan with cupcake liners
- Number 2 tip
- Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 box of French vanilla cake mix
- 3 large eggs room temp
- 1/2 cup of softened unsalted sweet cream butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup Blue Jimmie Sprinkles or similar sprinkles at Micheals
How to make snowflake cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with the cupcake liners.
In a medium bowl, beat the cake mix, eggs, butter, and milk until
smooth and combined. Fold in the Jimmies sprinkles. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full.
Bake in the oven for about 21 minutes. Pull out the cupcakes and allow to cool before frosting.
Vanilla Frosting Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
- 4 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 5-7 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 containers of Wilton Christmas wonderland sprinkles or any winter sprinkles mix
- 24 unwrapped York Peppermint patties
- 1 tube of white frosting
Frosting Directions
Place the York peppermint patties onto a cookie sheet. Pipe a snowflake onto the centre of the peppermint patties with the tube of white frosting using a #2 tip. Allow to dry.
Using a standing mixer combine the butter, powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla and mix on medium speed until combined and smooth. Scoop the frosting into the piping bag.
Pour the Christmas sprinkles into a medium bowl.
Cupcake Decorating directions
Using the piping bag with a large star tip, pipe a thick wall of frosting around the edge of the cupcakes. Coat the frosting in the sprinkles. Pipe a dollop of frosting into the middle of the sprinkle coated frosting. Carefully place the decorated York Pattie in the frosting dollop of the snowflake cupcake.
I hope you enjoyed these Snowflake Cupcakes Recipe as much as I did! If you make it, please share your photos with us on Facebook or Twitter! Also, check out all of our other Recipes.
Snowflake Cupcakes
Equipment
- 1 large piping bag with large star tip
- Cupcake pan with cupcake liners
- Number 2 tip
- Bowl
Ingredients
French Vanilla Cupcake Ingredients
- 1 box of French vanilla cake mix
- 3 large eggs room temp
- 1/2 cup of softened unsalted sweet cream butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup Blue Jimmie Sprinkles or similar sprinkles at Micheals
VANILLA FROSTING INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 5-7 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 12.24 oz Wilton Christmas wonderland sprinkles or any winter sprinkles mix 2 X 6.12 oz
- 24 unwrapped York Peppermint patties
- 4.25 oz white frosting tube (120 gr)
Instructions
HOW TO MAKE SNOWFLAKE CUPCAKES
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with the cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, beat the cake mix, eggs, butter, and milk until
- smooth and combined. Fold in the Jimmies sprinkles. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake in the oven for about 21 minutes. Pull out the cupcakes and allow to cool before frosting.
FROSTING DIRECTIONS
- Place the York peppermint patties onto a cookie sheet. Pipe a snowflake onto the centre of the peppermint patties with the tube of white frosting using a #2 tip. Allow to dry.
- Using a standing mixer combine the butter, powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla and mix on medium speed until combined and smooth. Scoop the frosting into the piping bag.
- Pour the Christmas sprinkles into a medium bowl.
CUPCAKE DECORATING DIRECTIONS
- Using the piping bag with a large star tip, pipe a thick wall of frosting around the edge of the cupcakes.
- Coat the frosting in the sprinkles.
- Pipe a dollop of frosting into the middle of the sprinkle coated frosting.
- Carefully place the decorated York Pattie in the frosting dollop of the snowflake cupcake.
My daughter loves to bake and she would love to try out this recipe. Looks fun and delicious.
Can’t wait to try these!! (But we might sprinkle a little coconut on them too! My grandson LOVES coconut!)
Coconut for snow… love it!
These look delicious! They would be fun to make with my grandchildren.
These looks to good and with the French vanilla base I bet these are really tasty.
I love the look of these snowflake cupcakes; So fun
These almost look too pretty to eat! Almost…
Can’t wait to try these! They look so yummy.