Description
Festive Christmas Wreath Cupcakes made with soft vanilla sponge, a sweet-tart raspberry jam center, and creamy green vanilla buttercream piped into a decorative wreath. Perfect for Christmas parties, holiday dessert tables, and seasonal baking.
Ingredients
Scale
- 150 g unsalted butter, softened
- 150 g caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150 g self-raising flour
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 120 g raspberry jam
- 200 g unsalted butter, softened, for buttercream
- 400 g icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, for buttercream
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, for buttercream
- Green gel food coloring, as needed
- Red sugar pearls or festive sprinkles, as needed
- White sprinkles or edible stars, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F, or 160°C/320°F for a fan-assisted oven. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with paper cases.
- Beat 150 g softened butter and the caster sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy.
- Add the eggs gradually, beating well after each addition. Mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Gently fold in the self-raising flour and salt. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons milk as needed to create a soft batter that drops easily from a spoon.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 cupcake cases, filling each approximately two-thirds full.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the cupcakes are lightly golden, spring back when touched, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
- Use a cupcake corer or small sharp knife to remove a small section from the center of each cupcake without cutting through the bottom.
- Fill each cupcake with approximately 1 to 2 teaspoons raspberry jam.
- For the buttercream, beat 200 g softened butter until pale and creamy. Gradually beat in the icing sugar.
- Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and enough milk to produce a smooth but firm piping consistency.
- Add green gel food coloring gradually until the buttercream reaches the desired wreath-green shade.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a small star or leaf nozzle.
- Pipe overlapping stars, leaves, or short swirls around the edge of each cupcake, leaving a small opening in the center to create a Christmas wreath shape.
- Decorate the wreaths with red sugar pearls, festive sprinkles, white sprinkles, or edible stars before serving.
Notes
- Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before adding buttercream or the frosting may soften and lose its shape.
- Use gel food coloring rather than liquid coloring to achieve a vibrant green without thinning the buttercream.
- Do not overmix the cupcake batter after adding the flour, as this can produce a dense sponge.
- A smooth or seedless raspberry jam is particularly easy to use as a cupcake filling.
- Strawberry, cherry, cranberry, or mixed berry preserves can replace raspberry jam.
- The undecorated cupcakes can be baked a day ahead and stored in an airtight container.
- Store decorated cupcakes in a covered container in a cool place. If refrigerated, allow them to come toward room temperature before serving.
- Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands, decorations, and exact quantities used.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 18-22 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 440 kcal
- Sugar: 50 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 105 mg