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Candy
Cane Cupcake
Cake
Spice up the
holiday season with this tasty treat.
We made this candy cane cupcake cake for our Christmas in July
celebration, when it's nearly
impossible to find peppermint candy canes. We put peppermint candies in
the cupcakes instead.
Items Needed:
22 cupcakes
White peppermint frosting, about 1 ½ cup
Red peppermint frosting, about 1 ½ cup
1 Decorator bags & tips #17, #18
40 peppermint candies
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- When
preparing cupcake batter, add about 1 cup of smashed peppermint
candies, that's about 40 peppermint candies (the round
candies, not candy canes). Don't add more. The candies settle
to
the bottom of the cupcakes and make a soft bottom. 1 cup of
candies is fine. More will make the cupcakes soggy.
- If making
homemade frosting, substitute vanilla flavoring with peppermint
flavoring. If using storebought frosting, add some peppermint
flavoring. Try ½ tsp. for a can of frosting and then add more
if
needed. It's easier to add more than it is to take out too much.
- Lay out cupcakes as shown in the pattern
below
(way below). Gently squish
together.
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4. Apply red and white
frosting in stripes with a
pastry bag with no tip.
5. Use a
spatula or butter knife to smooth the stripes. If the frosting is too
thick, dip
the knife in some milk and then smooth the frosting.
6. Use decorator tip #17 with
the white frosting
to draw a line on the stripes.
7. Use decorator tip #18 with
the red frosting to
make a border on your cake.
8. Cover your candy cane
cupcake cake until
you serve it
at the
party. Everyone
will
love being able to grab their own piece of the cake.
Tips:
- To make full cupcakes, instead of flat ones,
either use a
Duncan Hines cake mix or fill the cups more full and make 18-22
cupcakes
instead of 24.
- Use canned frosting or homemade frosting. Use
my recipe
or get
two cans of the store bought stuff, just to be sure you have enough.
- Use gel food coloring because it won’t thin the
icing and
make it runny.
- If the icing is too thick, spreading it over
the top of the
cupcakes will pull the tops of the cupcakes off. Thin with half and
half or
milk.
- If the icing is too thin, it will run between
the cupcakes
and make a gooey mess. Thicken with powdered sugar.
- I generally use larger, more open tips for
decorating the
cupcake cakes. They give a more definitive edge to the cake and the
larger
pieces of frosting won’t fall down the small cracks between the edges
of the
cupcakes.
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| Yummy
Frosting (enough for a candy cane cupcake cake) |
½
butter or margarine, softened
½ cup shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
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4
cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. half and half or milk
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Cream butter and
shortening. Add vanilla and mix. Add sugar,
one cup at a time and continue mixing. Scrape sides as needed. Add half
and
half. The frosting should be easy to spread, and still firm so it won’t
slide
down between the cupcakes. Add more powdered sugar to thicken or more
half and
half to thin the frosting—but add in very small increments.
Keep frosting refrigerated when not using. Mix well before
use because it spreads
easier when it’s warm.
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Cupcake Cakes from Candy Cane Cupcake Cake
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