This Reindeer Cupcake Recipe is a Kid-Friendly Holiday Dessert. They’re also a fun Santa Treat for Christmas Eve or an Elf on the Shelf Treat.
Christmas is coming and Santa is on his way! Do you have this Reindeer Cupcake Recipe to make for him to take on his sleigh? There are some cute Cupcake Liners you can buy on Amazon if you need some!
This Reindeer Cupcake Recipe would also be fun to make as a treat for your kids while watching Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. They are also super cute for a class Christmas party at school! The options are endless with this fun Christmas Treat!
Reindeer Cupcake Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
Cupcake Ingredients:
2½ cups flour
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ cup butter, softened, plus 4 tbsp.
¼ cup shortening, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. Red Velvet extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp. Red gel food color
Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3 cups powder sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
Wilton’s Reindeer decoration kit
DIRECTIONS:
Cupcake Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line cupcake tins with paper liners.
Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
Mix with a wire whisk.
In a separate bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter, shortening, and sugar until it is light and creamy.
Add the egg, vanilla, red velvet extract, and red gel food coloring.
Mix well.
Add flour and buttermilk, 1/2 of each at a time. Mix until completely combined.
Spoon the batter into the lined cupcake tins until 2/3 filled.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes.
Remove from cupcake tins to a wire rack until totally cooled.
Frosting Directions:
Beat the softened butter alone until smooth.
Add cocoa and powdered sugar alternately with heavy cream into the creamed butter until it becomes a smooth and thick texture.
If the frosting is too thick, add more heavy cream, if too thin, add more powdered sugar.
Scoop frosting into a large pastry bag with a large round tip.
Twist the open end of the pastry bag to push the frosting to the tip.
Frost cupcakes beginning from the outside edge to the center.
Refer to the picture of the reindeer cupcake for additional details.
Place the antlers on each side of the frosted cupcake. Each antler should face each other.
Add the black candy for the nose then place the two eyes just above the nose.
For the girl reindeer add a red bow right between the antlers.

Reindeer Cupcake Recipe
This Reindeer Cupcake Recipe is a Kid-Friendly Holiday Dessert. They're also a fun Santa Treat for Christmas Eve or an Elf on the Shelf Treat.
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients:
- 2½ cups flour
- 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup butter, softened, plus 4 tbsp.
- ¼ cup shortening, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 Tbsp. Red Velvet extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 Tbsp. Red gel food color
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 3 cups powder sugar
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- Wilton's Reindeer decoration kit
Instructions
Cupcake Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line cupcake tins with paper liners.
- Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix with a wire whisk.
- In a separate bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter, shortening, and sugar until it is light and creamy.
- Add the egg, vanilla, red velvet extract, and red gel food coloring.
- Mix well.
- Add the flour mixture and buttermilk, 1/2 of each at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix until completely combined.
- Spoon the batter into the lined cupcake tins filling 2/3 of each cupcake liner.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes.
- Remove from cupcake tins to a wire rack until totally cooled.
Frosting Directions
- Beat the softened butter alone until smooth.
- Add cocoa and powdered sugar alternately with heavy cream into the creamed butter until it becomes a smooth, thick texture.
- If the frosting is too thick, add more heavy cream, if too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- Scoop frosting into a large pastry bag with a large round tip.
- Twist the open end of the pastry bag to push the frosting to the tip.
- Frost cupcakes beginning from the outside edge to the center.
- Refer to the picture of the reindeer cupcake for additional details.
- Place the antlers on each side of the frosted cupcake. Each antler should face each other.
- Add the black candy for the nose then place the two eyes just above the nose.
- For the girl reindeer add a red bow right between the antlers.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 432Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 224mgCarbohydrates: 61gFiber: 1gSugar: 45gProtein: 4g

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Share this recipe with your friends and family this Christmas season! Give these as a gift or after school treat and see if your loved ones can name all of Santa’s reindeer!
Disclosure: Amazon Pricing subject to change at any time. Please make sure you check the current price on Amazon.com before purchasing.