Description
Delightfully festive Reindeer Cupcakes perfect for holiday celebrations, featuring moist Devil’s Food cake infused with instant chocolate pudding and chocolate chips, topped with rich cocoa frosting and decorated with pretzels, vanilla wafers, candy eyes, and red M&Ms to create adorable reindeer faces.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix
- 1 box Instant Chocolate Pudding (3.9 ounces)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup water
- 8 ounces sour cream
Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 3 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream (plus more if needed)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decoration
- 48 pretzel twists
- 24 vanilla wafers
- 24 red M&Ms
- 48 candy eyes
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Line two cupcake pans with cupcake liners to prepare for baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the Devil’s Food cake mix and instant chocolate pudding mix. Stir in the semi-sweet chocolate chips evenly.
- Add Wet Ingredients: To the dry mixture, add the four large eggs, vegetable oil, and water. Mix thoroughly until combined.
- Incorporate Sour Cream: Gently fold in the sour cream to the batter to achieve a smooth consistency without overmixing.
- Fill Cupcake Liners: Pour the batter into each cupcake liner, filling them about three-quarters full for proper rising.
- Bake the Cupcakes: Place the pans in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool completely on wire racks before frosting.
- Prepare the Frosting: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter for about 3 minutes until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix on low speed to combine, then increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes until fluffy.
- Adjust Frosting Consistency: Check the frosting’s consistency; if too thick, add additional heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until smooth and spreadable. Chill the frosting until ready to use.
- Assemble – Base Frosting Layer: Spread a flat layer of frosting over each cooled cupcake, reserving some frosting for decorating.
- Add Reindeer Features: Place one vanilla wafer on top of each cupcake to form the reindeer’s muzzle. Attach two pretzel twists behind the wafer to create antlers.
- Decorate Eyes and Noses: Transfer the reserved frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip or a plastic bag with a small corner cut off. Pipe small dots of frosting onto the backs of candy eyes and red M&Ms, then carefully place the eyes above the wafers and the red M&M as the reindeer’s nose.
- Serve: Once decorated, the reindeer cupcakes are ready to be enjoyed at your festive gathering!
Notes
- Make sure cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting to prevent melting.
- If frosting is too thick after chilling, add a little more heavy cream to achieve the desired spreadability.
- Use a small piping tip or a plastic bag with a tiny corner cut for precise frosting application on candy decorations.
- For best results, use fresh candy eyes and pretzels that are not broken or stale.
- These cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
