Christmas Cupcakes
Updated Dec 05, 2025
Christmas cupcakes made with a vanilla sponge cake and topped with a vanilla peppermint frosting. They bake in just 15 minutes.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Jump to Section
snowy white Christmas cupcakes!
These Christmas cupcakes may look like plain vanilla, but they’re hiding a secret: the frosting on top is vanilla peppermint buttercream! In this Christmas cupcake recipe, I skipped the food coloring and sprinkles and instead focused on festive flavors and a snowy winter feel. I wanted a batch of Christmas cupcakes that tasted festive without relying on red or green dye, so I leaned into vanilla, peppermint, and that soft “winter bakery” feel. These Christmas cupcakes still feel fun and seasonal, but the flavor does all the work.1`
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Christmas Cupcake Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
- Dry Ingredients: All-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Unsalted butter, eggs, Greek yogurt, vegetable oil, whole milk, and vanilla extract.
Vanilla Peppermint Buttercream
- Unsalted butter: Make sure it’s properly softened so your buttercream is the right texture.
- Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioners’ sugar, don’t skip sifting this as it will help keep your buttercream lump free.
- Heavy cream: Just a splash to help the consistency. You could use whole milk, if needed.
- Vanilla extract: You can use clear vanilla extract for a pristine white frosting, but I find the flavor of pure vanilla extract to be better.
- Peppermint extract: Just a bit, because a little goes a long way! Make sure the label says peppermint, not mint. It’s an easy mistake to make, but mint extract tastes like spearmint, while peppermint extract has that candy cane flavor you want in these Christmas cupcakes.
- Salt: Adding a pinch is optional to balance the sweetness.
How to Make Christmas Cupcakes
If you don’t have a big block of time to make the entire recipe all at once, you can make the cupcakes one day, then make the frosting and pipe it the next.
Make the Vanilla Cupcake Batter
Bake the Cupcakes
Make the Peppermint Buttercream Frosting
Christmas Cupcakes Recipe
These Christmas cupcakes are dye-free, topped with snowflakes, and feature a vanilla cake with a wintery peppermint vanilla buttercream frosting!
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup greek yogurt room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup whole milk room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Vanilla Peppermint Buttercream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- Pinch of salt optional
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the butter and sugar and cream together on medium speed for about 3 minutes or until the butter is pale yellow, scraping down the sides, as needed.
- Add the eggs, greek yogurt, oil, milk, and vanilla, and continue mixing until smooth.
- Add the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until no more flour streaks remain.
- Scoop batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup ¾ full. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Buttercream
- Add butter to a clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light in color and increased in volume.
- Scrape down the sides and add the powdered sugar. Mix for about 2 minutes until combined, and then add the vanilla, cream, and salt. Continue to mix until smooth and creamy, about another 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your desired tip and frost cupcakes. Top with white sparkling sugar and a snowflake for decoration.
Equipment
Notes
- My Top Tip: Don’t over-mix. Once there are no more steaks of flour in the batter, stop mixing. Over-mixing can result in dense cupcakes.
- Storage: Store these cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Because the frosting is made with butter, they need to be refrigerated for food safety. They will stay fresh for up to 2 days.
- Freezing: You can freeze your vanilla Christmas cupcakes for up to 2 months frosted, or up to 3 months unfrosted.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupcake, Calories: 458kcal, Carbohydrates: 59g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 79mg, Sodium: 136mg, Potassium: 58mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 47g, Vitamin A: 610IU, Vitamin C: 0.01mg, Calcium: 55mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Recipe Tips
- Use room-temperature butter and eggs. Room-temperature butter and eggs will hold more air when beaten, which means you’ll get a lighter, fluffier texture in your cupcakes because they’ll be able to rise more in the oven.
- Don’t over-mix. Once there are no more steaks of flour in the batter, stop mixing. Over-mixing can result in dense cupcakes.
- Use a spring-loaded cookie scoop. This will make sure you distribute the batter evenly into the cupcake so they bake uniformly.
- Improvise if you don’t have a piping bag. You can snip the corner from a zip-top bag and use that to pipe the frosting, either with or without a piping tip. Another option is to simply use an offset spatula to spread the frosting on top the old-fashioned way!
Comments
I can’t wait to make these! I really appreciate and enjoy so many of your recipes . I love trying them out and so does my husband 😃
Ahh thank you!
Beautiful Christmas 🎄 cupcakes recipe 🎅🏻 love ❤️ the recipe easy to make cupcakes
So happy you enjoyed them!