Santa Pull Apart Cupcakes Recipes

Steps:

• Arrange 21 cupcakes in a tight triangle on a platter or cake board, using 6 cupcakes at the bottom. Add 2 cupcakes for the trunk. Break the graham cracker in half, spread chocolate frosting on the back and use to fill in the gaps in the trunk as shown.
• Spread the remaining chocolate frosting on the bottom 2 cupcakes, using an offset spatula to add texture. Tint the vanilla frosting green; transfer to a piping bag with an open-star tip. Starting from the bottom of the triangle and working your way up, pipe the green frosting all over the cupcakes in small downward strokes to cover completely.
• Add candies for ornaments. Flatten the gumdrop and trim into a star shape with a small cookie cutter. Place on top of the tree.

Steps:

• For the marble cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cupcake pans with white liners.
• Evenly separate the vanilla cake batter into 3 bowls. Dye one bowl Christmas red, one bowl green and one bowl white. Using a 1-ounce ice cream scoop or tablespoon, put one scoop of each color into the lined cupcake pans, filling two-thirds of the way. Swirl the colors together with a wooden skewer or the back of a spoon. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before assembling the wreath.
• For the decorations: While the cupcakes are baking and cooling, dye your buttercream frosting a Christmas green and put it into a pastry bag with a large star tip at the end.
• For the snowflakes: Dust a clean surface with cornstarch. Roll the white fondant out so it is 1/8-to-1/4-inch thick. Use your snowflake cookie cutter to cut out snowflake shapes.
• For the fondant bow and streamers: Dust a clean surface with cornstarch. Roll the red fondant out so it is 1/4-inch thick. Cut one strip that is approximately 2 inches wide and 10 inches long and one that is 1-inch wide and 5 inches long. Fold the 10-inch-long strip in half to find the center. Add a little bit of water as glue to the center of the strip and fold each end into the middle. Pinch the center together. Take the shorter strip and wrap it over the center (securing with a little bit of water) and close on the backside of the bow.
• Roll the leftover red fondant out so it is 1/4-inch thick and cut 2 strips - each should be 2-by-5 inches. Cut the top of each strip into a triangle and cut the bottom of each strip so that it resembles ribbon tails.
• To assemble: Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, assemble them into a wreath shape on whatever board or platter you plan to use for service. Make sure to leave a blank circle in the center. Once you like the placement, attach each cupcake to the board with a dot of buttercream.
• Pipe a large buttercream rosette on top of each cupcake with the green buttercream, making sure to fill in all the gaps. Add your fondant bow, snowflakes and assorted holiday sprinkles to complete your wreath.

Steps:

• Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for cupcakes, filling paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; cool completely. , Tint 2/3 cup frosting red with food coloring. Place 3 tablespoons white frosting in a food-safe plastic bag; cut a 1/4-in. hole in one corner and reserve for piping., Use remaining white frosting to cover two-thirds of each cupcake. For hats, cover remaining third of each cupcake with red frosting. Pipe fur trim with white frosting; add marshmallows for pompoms. Decorate with M&M's, Red Hots and jimmies for faces; add coconut for beards.