These Christmas ornament cupcakes have all the chocolate-y flavor you love with less sugar thanks to Truvia® Sweet Complete™ , an all-purpose, granulated stevia sweetener with zero calories per serving that bakes and browns in recipes and sweetens and measures like sugar.
These cupcakes are great for people who are looking to reduce overall sugar in their holiday treats. They look adorable and truly unique but are beyond easy to decorate, making them a great project for little ones to help with. Even though we may not be able to celebrate like we typically do, we can still spread holiday cheer by gifting these cupcakes that can easily be personalized with custom frosting designs!
To complement the cupcakes, I made a simple buttercream with Truvia® Confectioners Sweetener to decorate them like ornaments. Since Truvia® Confectioners Sweetener measures cup-for-cup like traditional confectioners’ sugar in recipes, it’s versatile and easy to swap it into any of your favorite frostings or glazes.
How to Make Christmas Ornament Cupcakes
1. Heat oven to 350F. Sift the cocoa powder, leavening agents, salt and flour in a bowl then whisk together and set aside.
2. Cream the butter and Truvia® Sweet Complete™ All-Purpose Sweetener together then mix in the vanilla, eggs and milk. Scrape the bowl down and mix once more.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet then mix together until combined. Don’t worry if you see some lumps, everything will work out in the bake. Use a spatula to mix in any errant bits of flour, butter etc.
4. Fill the cupcake papers 2/3 the way up then bake at 350F until the centers spring back when pressed. Set aside to cool.
5. Cream the butter and salt then add the Truvia® Confectioners sweetener. Beat on high until light and fluffy then add cream a tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Divide the frosting into bowls and tint with food colorings.
6. Use a spatula to cover the cooled cupcakes in a thin layer of buttercream then gently press the cupcakes into colored sanding sugar. Decorate with more buttercream, colorful candies and whatever else you have on hand. Finish the cupcakes be piping a top for them using a medium round tip.
Pro Tips for this Recipe
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Sift the dry ingredients, cocoa powder can have a lot of lumps.
- Room temperature ingredients will mix best so make sure the butter, eggs, sour cream, and milk are not ice cold.
- Have fun with the decorations! Use your favorite candies, piping tips, and accessories to make these ornaments come to life.
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If you’ve tried this Christmas Ornament Cupcakes recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Christmas Ornament Cupcakes
Equipment
- Mixer
- Cupcake papers and tin
Ingredients
For the Cupcake Batter
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 cup Truvia® Sweet Complete™ All-Purpose Sweetener
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups Truvia® Confectioners sweetener
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- food coloring
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Heat oven to 350F and line your cupcakes tins with papers. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder into a large bowl then whisk together and set aside.
- Cream the butter and Truvia® Sweet Complete™ All-Purpose Sweetener for 2 minutes on high. Scrape the bowl down then add the vanilla and eggs one at a time while mixing on medium. Beat in the sour cream and scrape down once more then add the milk and mix on low until combined.
- Transfer the flour mixture to your mixing bowl and mix on low until combined. Use a spatula to finish the batter off, mixing in and stray pockets of flour, milk etc.
- Fill your cupcake papers up 2/3 the way up and bake at 350F for about 22 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch.
For the Frosting
- Beat the room temperature butter, salt, and Truvia® Confectioners sweetener on high for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy then pour in 1-3 tbs cream or milk to achieve the desired consistency.
- Divide the frosting into the desired number of bowls and color each batch using food coloring. I made red, green, and yellow frostings as well as a small batch of gold. It's always a good idea to leave some frosting uncolored to use for contrast or to lighten a colored batch.
For the Decoration
- Use a spatula to cover the tops of the cooled cupcake with frosting.
- Pour colored sanding sugars onto small plates then invert the cupcakes onto the sugar and press gently so the buttercream is covered. I used a medium round tip to pipe the tops of the ornaments with frosting I had tinted with gold lusted dust. Pipe additional decorations on top if desired and apply sugar pearls, crushed candy canes, and colorful candies for added interest.
Video
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Sift the dry ingredients, cocoa powder can have a lot of lumps.
- Room temperature ingredients will mix best so make sure the butter, eggs, sour cream, and milk are not ice cold.
- Have fun with the decorations! Use your favorite candies, piping tips, and accessories to make these ornaments come to life.
Nutrition
