Cupcakes Topped with White Chocolate Snowflakes
I love these pretty little things! Somewhere I saw a photo of chocolate cupcakes with royal icing snowflake toppers and had to recreate them for a holiday party. I think the delicate snowflakes are a step up from the usual stacked marshmallow snowman cupcakes (yes, those are cute too). I decided to skip the step of making royal icing and just melt some white chocolate chips to pipe into snowflakes. These would also be really pretty on red velvet cupcakes or even on top of chocolate frosting.
While it may seem like a lot of steps, the snowflakes and frosting can be made up to 3 days ahead.
Makes around 24 cupcakes
White Chocolate Snowflakes
*Can be made a few days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
1 bag white chocolate chips
1 cookie sheet
wax paper
2 snowflake clip art tracing sheets (Google "snowflake clip art" and copy/paste the image(s) you like into a Word, Photoshop, etc document. You may have to resize until snowflakes are the desired size.)
Melt white chocolate in a double boiler. Let cool, but not harden. Pour into a a pastry bag with a #4 tip or into a ziploc bag with a tiny bit of a corner cut off. Place snowflake clip art under wax paper on a cookie sheet. Pipe white chocolate over each snowflake. Let harden in refrigerator.
If you want your snowflakes to be shimmery like mine, dust with edible pearl dust (available at craft stores) or sprinkle with the regular decorating sparkles from the grocery store while wet.
Chocolate Cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
*to make the frosting into a pretty swirl, use a 1M tip with a pastry bag. You can get them at craft stores and it's very easy to make the swirl.
