This fun Christmas tree cupcake is a copycat of your favorite Magic Kingdom Christmas Cupcake! With a funfetti top, delicious vanilla buttercream, a red velvet hidden mickey and made to look like a pretty Christmas tree!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 45 minutesminutes
20 minutesminutes
Total Time 25 minutesminutes
Servings 24cupcakes
Calories 761kcal
Author Lisa
Ingredients
1Box of Funfetti Cake Mixplus oil, egg whites and water
1Box Red Velvet Cake Mixplus oil, eggs and water
1Box White Cake Mixplus oil, egg whites and water
1Batch Vanilla Buttercream
1Batch Green Buttercream
¼cup water
Black Decorating Gel or Black Buttercream*
Wilton 22 Piping Tip
Piping Bags
Light Bulb Sprinkles
cupcake liners
Vanilla Buttercream Ingredients
1cupunsalted butter
5cupspowdered sugar
1tbsvanilla
5tbsheavy cream
Pinchsalt
Green Buttercream Ingredients
2cupsunsalted butter
10cups powdered sugar
2tbsvanilla
10tbsheavy cream
PinchSalt
Green Food Gel
Instructions
Red Velvet Cake
Follow the instructions on the box for making the red velvet cake batter and bake according to the box instructions. If you want your cake to bake a little quick, bake in a greased large rimmed baking sheet @350 for 10-12 minutes until fully baked.
1 Box Red Velvet Cake Mix
Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle.
Funfetti cupcake toppers:
Follow the instructions on the box for making the funfetti cake batter and bake 24 cupcakes according to the box instructions. I like to use cupcake liners in my cupcake pan but that’s up to you.
1 Box of Funfetti Cake Mix
Once baked, allow to cool, then cut into cone shapes.*
I like to carefully cut at an angle to form a cone. It might take a little practice to get really good at making a cone shape- but it won’t be a big deal once everything is frosted!
Vanilla Cupcakes with the Hidden Mickey:
Follow the instructions on the box for making the white cake batter.
1 Box White Cake Mix
Crumble your red velvet cake in a large bowl and add ½ cup of the white cake batter and ¼ cup water to it. Stir until fully combined.
¼ cup water
In a lined cupcake tin place a small about of white cupcake batter. Enough to cover the bottom.
Then take a small amount of the red velvet cake mixture and roll it into a ball. Place the ball in the center of the cupcake tin on top of the white cupcake batter.
Take some more of the red velvet cake mixture and roll into a thin log, then connect the two ends forming a circle. Place the circle on top of the red velvet ball.
Spoon more white cupcake batter over the top of the cupcake- it just need to cover the top- don’t worry about filling up the sides.
Bake cupcakes at 350°F for 14 minutes or until the they are fully baked. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
2 cups unsalted butter, 10 cups powdered sugar, 2 tbs vanilla, 10 tbs heavy cream, Pinch Salt, Green Food Gel, 1 Batch Green Buttercream
How to decorate the Twice Upon a Cupcake:
Using white buttercream and a piping bag with the tip cut off, pipe a layer of white buttercream onto every baked white cupcake with the hidden mickeys.
Then press a funfetti cone onto each frosted cupcake.
Using the Wilton 22 Piping Tip in a piping bag with green buttercream, pipe on the tree.
Wilton 22 Piping Tip, Piping Bags
Then using your black decorating gel, pipe on a string that spirals around the tree.
Black Decorating Gel or Black Buttercream*
Gently press on the light bulbs and enjoy!
Light Bulb Sprinkles
Video
Notes
Tips and Tricks
I used black gel because that is what I had on hand, you can find it at your grocery store in the baking aisle or the cake decorating isle. However, it doesn’t dry and will always be messy. If you want to make black buttercream and pipe that on instead (using a small piping tip) you can find add black food gel to homemade chocolate frosting or use store bought black buttercream (found in the cake decorating isle)
Use leftover funfetti cupcake pieces and make my easy cake pops! (You don’t want to do this with leftover red velvet cake because it has raw vanilla cupcake batter in it.)