These Christmas tree cupcakes are moist chocolate cupcakes topped with vanilla buttercream, coconut "snow," and candy melt Christmas trees.
These Christmas tree cupcakes are a festive, kid-friendly treat that looks impressive but is easy to make.
Moist chocolate cupcakes are mixed in one bowl, then topped with a smooth vanilla buttercream and a coconut "snow" coating.
Each cupcake is finished with a little Christmas tree made from green candy melts piped onto a pretzel stick and covered in sprinkles.
They are perfect for holiday parties, cookie swaps, and decorating with kids.
For more Christmas desserts, check out my Christmas sugar cookies with easy icing, Oreo balls, chocolate thumbprint cookies, and French hot chocolate.
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Why this recipe works
- One Bowl Cupcakes: The chocolate batter is whisked by hand in a single bowl.
- Extra Moist: Oil and hot coffee keep the cupcakes soft and deeply chocolatey.
- Easy Edible Trees: Candy melts piped onto pretzel sticks make simple toppers that hold their shape.
- Snowy Finish: Rolling the frosted tops in coconut gives a quick, wintery look.
- Fun to Decorate: Kids love piping the trees and adding the sprinkles.
Ingredients
Before starting, measure and prepare your ingredients so the baking process goes smoothly. You can find the exact measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
The chocolate cupcakes
Flour: All-purpose flour gives the cupcakes structure while keeping them soft.
Dutch Cocoa Powder: Gives the cupcakes a deep chocolate flavor and a dark color.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Leaveners that give the cupcakes a light, even rise.
Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cupcakes and keeps them moist.
Vegetable Oil: Keeps the cupcakes moist and tender for days.
Eggs: Large and at room temperature so they blend smoothly into the batter.
Hot Coffee: Blooms the cocoa for a richer chocolate flavor. You won't taste the coffee, and hot water works too.
Vanilla Extract: Rounds out the chocolate flavor.
Kosher Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the chocolate.
The vanilla buttercream
Butter: Unsalted and softened to room temperature so it whips up light and fluffy.
Powdered Sugar: Sweetens the frosting and keeps it smooth. Sift it to avoid lumps.
Milk: Thins the frosting to a smooth, spreadable texture.
Vanilla Extract: Gives the buttercream its classic vanilla flavor.
Salt: A pinch balances the sweetness of the frosting.
The Christmas tree toppers
Green Candy Melts: Melt smoothly and set firm, making them perfect for piping tree shapes.
Pretzel Sticks: Act as the tree trunks and add a little salty crunch.
Christmas Sprinkles: Decorate the trees like ornaments.
Shredded Coconut: Rolled over the frosting to look like snow.
Step by Step Instructions
Make the chocolate cupcakes
1. Prep: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
3. Wet Ingredients: Add the oil, vanilla extract, and eggs, and whisk until almost combined. Then add the hot coffee and mix until smooth.
4. Fill and Bake: Use an ice cream scoop to fill each liner ⅔ full. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Cool: Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the vanilla buttercream
1. Beat the Butter: Beat the room temperature butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
2. Add the Sugar: Add the powdered sugar in two additions, mixing until smooth after each.
3. Finish: Add the vanilla extract, salt, and milk and mix until creamy.
Make the Christmas tree toppers
1. Melt: Melt the green candy melts in the microwave in 10-second bursts, stirring between each one so they don't burn.
2. Pipe: Lay the pretzel sticks on a parchment-lined tray. Transfer the melted candy to a piping bag, snip a small tip, and pipe a zigzag tree shape over the top of each pretzel.
3. Decorate and Set: Immediately add the sprinkles so they stick, then refrigerate the tray until the trees are firm.
Assemble the cupcakes
Frost: Spread the vanilla buttercream over each cooled cupcake and smooth it with a spatula.
Snow: Dip the frosted tops in shredded coconut. Skip this step if you don't like coconut.
Add the Trees: Gently peel the trees off the parchment and press a pretzel trunk into the center of each cupcake.
Expert Tips
- Don't Overfill: Fill the liners only ⅔ full so the cupcakes bake flat and leave room for frosting.
- Cool Completely: Frost only fully cooled cupcakes, or the buttercream will melt.
- Melt Slowly: Candy melts scorch quickly, so heat in short bursts and stir often.
- Make Extra Trees: Pipe a few extra in case any break when you peel them off the parchment.
- Add Trees Before Serving: Press the trees in shortly before serving so they stay crisp and upright.
Troubleshooting
Why did my candy melts get thick or clumpy?
They overheated or a drop of water got in. Melt them in short bursts and keep everything dry. Stir in ½ teaspoon of coconut oil to loosen them.
Why are my Christmas trees breaking?
The trees were piped too thin or peeled off before they fully set. Pipe a slightly thicker zigzag and chill until completely firm.
Why did my cupcakes sink in the middle?
They were underbaked or the liners were overfilled. Fill them only ⅔ full and bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
Candy melts are colored, sweetened melting wafers that set firm at room temperature, which makes them ideal for piping shapes. Green candy melts give the trees their color without any food coloring.
Yes. Melt white chocolate and tint it with oil-based or gel food coloring. It will be softer than candy melts, so chill the trees until firm before using them.
Yes. Pipe the trees up to 1 week ahead and store them in an airtight container at room temperature, away from heat.
Storing
Store the decorated cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Let them sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
Freezing
Unfrosted cupcakes: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before frosting.
Frosted cupcakes: Freeze on a tray until the frosting is firm, then transfer to an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight and add the trees before serving.
Make It Ahead Of Time
Pipe the Trees Early
Make the Christmas tree toppers up to 1 week ahead and keep them in an airtight container at room temperature.
Bake the Cupcakes the Day Before
Bake the cupcakes up to 1 day ahead and store them covered at room temperature. Frost and decorate on the day of serving.
Substitutions
Coffee: Use hot water instead to make this decaf.
Candy Melts: Use white chocolate tinted with gel food coloring.
Gluten Free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend and gluten-free pretzels.
Dairy Free: The cupcakes are naturally dairy free. For the frosting, use plant-based butter and plant milk, and use dairy-free candy melts or dairy-free white chocolate for the trees.
Variations
Chocolate Frosting: Swap the vanilla buttercream for a chocolate buttercream.
Green Frosting: Tint the buttercream green and pipe it as a tall swirl for a second tree look.
Peppermint: Add ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract to the frosting.
Vanilla Cupcakes: Bake vanilla cupcakes for a lighter version.
How to Scale This Recipe
Multiply all the cupcake, frosting, and topper ingredients by the amount below.
- 24 Cupcakes: 2x. Bake for about 20 minutes.
- Mini Cupcakes: As written, for about 36 mini cupcakes. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
- 8-Inch Sheet Cake: As written. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes and top with the trees.
Equipment
- 12-cup muffin pan and cupcake liners
- Large mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Electric hand mixer
- Ice cream scoop
- Open star piping tip and piping bags
- Parchment paper
More Christmas Desserts
Looking for more holiday treats? Try my white chocolate cranberry cookies, no-bake cookies, and chocolate crinkle cookies!
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📖 Recipe
Christmas Tree Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups Flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ⅓ cup Cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ⅓ cup Vegetable oil
- 1 cup Hot coffee
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Vanilla buttercream:
- 1 cup Butter
- 3 ¾ cups Powder sugar
- 3-4 tablespoon Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
For the cupcake toppers:
- 9 oz Green candy melts
- 12 Pretzel sticks
- 2 tablespoon Christmas sprinkles
- ⅓ cup Shredded coconut (for dipping)
Instructions
Make the chocolate cupcakes
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- Wet Ingredients: Add the hot coffee, oil, vanilla extract, and eggs and whisk until smooth.
- Fill and Bake: Use an ice cream scoop to fill each liner ⅔ full. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the vanilla buttercream
- Beat the Butter: Beat the room temperature butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add the Sugar: Add the powdered sugar in two additions, mixing until smooth after each.
- Finish: Add the vanilla extract, salt, and milk and mix until creamy.
Make the Christmas tree toppers
- Melt: Melt the green candy melts in the microwave in 10-second bursts, stirring between each one so they don't burn.
- Pipe: Lay the pretzel sticks on a parchment-lined tray. Transfer the melted candy to a piping bag, snip a small tip, and pipe a zigzag tree shape over the top of each pretzel.
- Decorate and Set: Immediately add the sprinkles so they stick, then refrigerate the tray until the trees are firm.
Assemble the cupcakes
- Frost: Spread the vanilla buttercream over each cooled cupcake and smooth it with a spatula.
- Snow: Dip the frosted tops in shredded coconut. Skip this step if you don't like coconut.
- Add the Trees: Gently peel the trees off the parchment and press a pretzel trunk into the center of each cupcake.
Notes
- Hot Coffee: It blooms the cocoa for a richer flavor. Use hot water if you prefer.
- Don't Overfill: Fill the liners only ⅔ full so the cupcakes bake flat.
- Cool Completely: Frost only fully cooled cupcakes.
- Room Temperature Butter: Soft butter whips into a smooth, fluffy buttercream.
- Melt Candy Slowly: Heat candy melts in 10-second bursts and keep them away from water.
- Thicker Trees: Pipe a slightly thick zigzag so the trees don't break, and chill until firm.
- Make Extra Trees: Pipe a few extras in case any break.
- Make Ahead: The trees keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Mini Cupcakes: Makes about 36 mini cupcakes. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Storage: Keep decorated cupcakes in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to 3 months.
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