Peppermint-Filled Chocolate Holly Berry Cupcakes
Not only are these chocolate holly berry cupcakes delicious and easy to make, but they also have a surprise center that adds a fun and unexpected touch everyone will enjoy!
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 522kcal
Equipment
- standard cupcake liners holiday themed optional
- hand mixer optional
- stand mixer optional
- small cookie scoop for scooping the center from the baked cupcakes
- Rolling Pin optional for smashing the peppermint candy
- large zip top bag optional for smashing the peppermint candy
- Leaf Piping Tip
- green gel food coloring
- cake tester optional
Ingredients
To make the cupcakes:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup hot brewed coffee
- ¼ cup crushed peppermint candy
- ¼ cup red-hot cinnamon candy or other small, red, candy
To make the peppermint buttercream frosting:
- 1 cup butter softened, I always use salted butter
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 4 cups confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk more if needed to make a thick but pipeable consistency that holds its shape.
- green gel food color
Instructions
To make the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees F (175 C)
- Prepare a cupcake tin with cupcake liners which have been lightly sprayed with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, egg, and vanilla.
- Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to slowly incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Slowly add the hot coffee to the batter and blend until just combined.
- Fill the prepared cupcake liners ½ full of batter and bake in a preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Use a small spoon or melon baller to scoop out a small well in the center of each baked cupcake. Fill each well with the crushed peppermint candy.
To make the peppermint buttercream frosting:
- In a large bowl, blend the softened butter, confectioners sugar, and peppermint extract on low. As needed add milk, a little at a time, until you achieve your desired consistency for piping. Soft, but still holds shape when piping.
- Reserve approximately ½ cup of the peppermint buttercream frosting and color it green with a few drops of the gel food color.
- Fit a large piping bag with the large star decorating tip and fill with the white peppermint buttercream.
- Starting in the center of each peppermint filled cupcake, pipe the frosting in a circular motion working outwards to cover the top of each cupcake.
- Add the green peppermint buttercream to a small piping bag which has been fitted with the large leaf decorating tip. Pipe two leaves onto each frosted white cupcake and finish by adding 3 red-hot candies to complete the holly berry design.
Video
Notes
Store cupcakes loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
May be frozen after baking, but best to freeze before filling with candy, and before frosting has been added.
Store in an airtight freezer container and freeze for up to 2 months.
Buttercream frosting may be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 522kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 292mg | Potassium: 136mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 62g | Vitamin A: 505IU | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1.1mg
