The holiday season is here, and what better way to spread some festive cheer than by baking a batch of adorable Santa Cupcakes? These festive treats are not only delicious but also incredibly easy to make! Using store-bought cake mixes and frostings, you can whip up these semi-homemade cupcakes in no time. They’re the perfect holiday baking activity to enjoy with your kids. Whether you’re hosting a holiday party, looking for a fun family activity, or want a festive treat to share, these Santa Cupcakes are sure to become a holiday favorite. Here’s how to make them!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s everything you need to create these delightful Santa-themed cupcakes:
For the Cupcakes:
- (1) 15.25-ounce box white cake mix
- (1) 15.25-ounce box chocolate cake mix
For the Decorations:
- (1) 16-ounce tub of red frosting
- (1) 16-ounce tub white frosting
- Red M&M’s candies (for Santa’s nose)
- Mini candy eyeballs
- Mini marshmallows (for Santa’s beard and hat pom-pom)
Kitchen Tools:
- Measuring cups
- Wooden spoon or hand mixer
- Muffin pans
- Cupcake liners
- Scissors
- Piping bags (or a zip-top bag with a corner cut off)
Pro Tip: If you’re missing any tools or ingredients, you can easily find them online or at your local grocery store. Using quality ingredients, like Great Value cake mix or edible eyeballs from Walmart, makes all the difference.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Cupcakes
Start by preheating your oven according to the instructions on the cake mix boxes. Line your muffin pans with cupcake liners for easy removal and cleanup. Prepare the cake mixes as directed on the box—one bowl for white cupcakes and another for chocolate cupcakes.
Step 2: Bake the cupcakes and let them cool completely before decorating. Cooling is crucial to prevent the frosting from melting!
Step 3: Prep the Marshmallows
While your cupcakes cool, grab your mini marshmallows and scissors. Cut some of the marshmallows in half; these will be used to create Santa’s fluffy beard and the brim of his hat. Keep a few marshmallows whole for the pom-pom on top of Santa’s hat. Set them aside for later.
Step 4: Decorate Santa’s Hat and Beard
- Once cool, pipe white frosting on the bottom fourth of the cupcake and make a line for the brim of Santa’s hat.
- Next, pipe red frosting on the top fourth of the cupcake to create Santa’s hat. Be sure to leave some space in the middle for the face.
- Attach the halved marshmallows onto the white frosting to create a fluffy texture for the beard and hat brim.
Step 5: Add Santa’s Face
Using the white frosting as glue, carefully place the edible eyeballs and a red M&M for Santa’s nose. Press gently to secure them in place. For extra detail, you can use a toothpick to adjust the position of the decorations if needed.
Step 6: Finish the Hat
Finally, top off Santa’s hat with a whole marshmallow pom-pom. Place it in the corner of the red frosting for the perfect finishing touch.
My Tips for Success
- Chill Your Frosting: If your frosting feels too soft, refrigerate it for 10–15 minutes to make it easier to pipe.
- Get Creative: You can substitute the red M&M with red hots or any small red candy you have on hand. For the eyes, candy pearls also work well if you can’t find edible eyeballs.
- Set Up a Decorating Station: Create a fun, mess-free station for the kids to help decorate. Lay down parchment paper and set out the decorations in small bowls.
FAQs About Santa Cupcakes
Can I Make Substitutions?
Absolutely! You can switch out the cake mix flavors to suit your preferences. Vanilla, red velvet, or spice cake mix would all be delicious. Feel free to get creative with what you have on hand for decorations.
How Do I Store Santa Cupcakes?
Store the decorated santa cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For the best taste, be sure to let them come to room temperature before serving.
Why Santa Cupcakes Are Perfect for the Holidays
These santa cupcakes aren’t just delicious – they’re a festive activity the whole family can enjoy. Kids will love assembling Santa’s face and adding their own creative touches. Plus, they’re perfect for holiday parties, classroom treats, or gifting to neighbors. With their bright colors and whimsical design, Santa Cupcakes will surely bring everyone a smile.
Ready to add some festive fun to your holiday baking? These Santa Cupcakes are simple to make, absolutely adorable, and perfect for celebrating the season. Don’t forget to share your creations with me on social media – tag me @hipmamasplace! If you loved this Santa cupcakes recipe, check out more holiday treats on the blog.
I hope you like this recipe for santa claus cupcakes – be sure to give it a review below!
Also don’t forget to follow Hip Mama’s Place on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
Looking for more holiday recipes and ideas? Check out links below for more seasonal inspiration. Happy holidays and happy baking!
-
Easy Christmas Tree Cupcakes
-
Caramel Popcorn Cupcakes Recipe
-
The Ultimate Christmas Snack Mix Recipe
-
Churro Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Print
Easy Santa Cupcakes Recipe
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 48 cupcakes
Ingredients
- (1) 15.25-ounce box white cake mix
- (1) 15.25-ounce box chocolate cake mix
- (1) 16-ounce tub red frosting
- (1) 16-ounce tub white frosting
- Red M&M’s chocolates
- Mini candy eyeballs
- Mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Prepare your cupcake pans with cupcake liners. Preheat your oven and make cupcakes as instructed on the box of cake mix. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before decorating.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, cut your mini marshmallows in half. Reserve the remainder of the mini marshmallows for the pom-poms for Santa’s hat.
- Once cool, pipe white frosting on the bottom fourth of the cupcake and make a line for the brim of Santa’s hat. Then, take the red frosting and pipe the top fourth of the cupcake to fill in the hat.
- Using white frosting as glue, place Santa’s eyes and nose and press to secure. Then, place the previously halved marshmallows in the white frosting to make a “fluffy” beard and brim of hat.
- Finally, place a marshmallow in the corner for the pom-pom on Santa’s hat!
- Serve and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes + 20 minutes assembly time
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
A former school teacher, Jocelyn Brown created Hip Mama’s Place in 2007. Her motto for this blog is: get inspired, create and share! Jocelyn loves sharing about food and recipes, crafts, DIY projects and her random travels with her family. She also loves all things social media, but her latest obsession is Instagram.
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OMG, those holiday cupcakes are absolutely adorable! They’re like tiny works of art, so beautifully decorated that it’s almost hard to imagine eating them.
So cute! What a fun idea to put these together during the holidays. They look yummy and would be fun to decorate during the winter break.
These are so cute. I must save the recipe and try to make some for my holiday party
So adorable and perfect for the holiday season! I love how creative and easy this recipe is, for both experienced bakers and beginners. The step-by-step instructions and simple ingredients make it a great project for families, especially with kids who will love decorating their own little Santas.
These Santa cupcakes look so cute and fun to make! I love that they’re easy enough for kids to help with—what a perfect holiday activity. I can already picture the kids having a blast decorating them.
These cupcakes were a hit with my kids today! They absolutely loved them and they were so easy to make! Little mess and easy cleanup as well!
Such cute cupcakes! I love the idea of using marshmallows to create Santa. Maybe we will try to make these cupcakes during winter break.
I can’t get over how adorable these are! I just love the idea and if I ever find the time to make these one year I will definitely do so!
Thanks for the storage tips too! It’s always good to know how to keep them fresh. I’ll definitely follow your advice and let them come to room temperature before serving to get the best taste.
This is a cute design for cupcakes this Christmas. I am sure kids will really love it and want to try to make one of it.
These Santa cupcakes are adorable! Perfect for spreading some holiday cheer. Thanks for the fun recipe idea!
These are the cutest and most yummy looking of cupcakes ever! I love them and am definitely making these for my family for Christmas. The kids will go wild and we will all enjoy them! Pinning the recipe next!
Omgoodness these are so cute and I love how easy they are to make. I haven’t done any baking yet but I think I will make these for the kids next week.
What a super fun idea for cupcakes. And it seems easy enough. I just might try them with Judah for the 24th desserts.
These Santa cupcakes are adorable. What a lovely idea. These would be perfect for the kids school Christmas party.
Oh my gosh, these are so super cute! I have to give these a try over the holidays; the kids will all love them!
These are so cute!!! perfect dish to do with my kids. Thank you for sharing. cant wait to try these
These Santa cupcakes look pretty simple to make and would be a fun little treat for the holidays. Definitely something I’d try for a casual get-together.
These cupcakes are super adorable. I think my son would love them. I’d have to make a smaller batch because it’s just the two of us.
These cupcakes are so festive and cute! I need to make some of them with my daughters. They’ll love doing these.
I love how easy these are to make while still being so adorable. They’re going to make my holiday dessert so much easier this year!
I finally have my dessert set for my Christmukkah dinner that I’m hosting this year. Looks way too good to miss out on!
These are the cutest cupcakes. I need to make them with my kids. We do love marshmallows.