These reindeer cupcakes are soft chocolate cupcakes made with cocoa, buttermilk and hot coffee, topped with a swirl of chocolate frosting and turned into reindeer with mini pretzel antlers, candy eyes and a red M&M nose. The recipe makes 12 cupcakes in about 1 hour 15 minutes, half an hour of that just cooling.
Bake them a day ahead if you like, but put the faces on close to serving. Pretzels go soft once they sit in frosting, and a reindeer with drooping antlers is a sad sight.
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- Cupcakes: 1 cup flour, ½ cup cocoa, ¾ cup sugar, ½ cup buttermilk, ½ cup oil, 2 eggs, ½ cup hot water or hot coffee
- Frosting: 1 cup butter, 2½ cups powdered sugar, ½ cup cocoa, vanilla, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons cream or milk
- Faces: 24 mini pretzels, 24 candy eyes and 12 red M&Ms
- Oven: 350°F (175°C), 18 to 22 minutes in a standard 12-cup pan
- Time: 25 minutes prep, about 20 minutes baking, 30 minutes cooling
The Chocolate Cupcake Base
The cake is a cocoa cupcake mixed by hand in two bowls. Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in one bowl, and the eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk and vanilla in another.
Buttermilk gives a softer crumb than milk and keeps the cupcakes moist for a day or two. I have tried this base with sour cream, and the flavor came out duller. Oil instead of butter keeps them tender even straight from the fridge.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined, then mix in the hot coffee or hot water. The batter will be thin, almost pourable, and that is right. The hot liquid dissolves the cocoa, so the chocolate tastes deeper and the crumb stays moist. You will not taste coffee, only more chocolate, but hot water works just as well if the cupcakes are for children.
If you have made my gingerbread cupcakes, these are the opposite mood: no spice, just chocolate with a salty pretzel finish.
Cocoa or Melted Chocolate?
For these cupcakes I use cocoa powder, not melted chocolate. Cocoa gives a clean, strong chocolate flavor without weighing the batter down, and with the oil and buttermilk it bakes up soft and light. Whenever I have swapped in melted chocolate, I had to change the sugar and flour to get the texture back. Cocoa keeps the recipe short, and the same cocoa in the frosting makes cake and topping taste like one thing.
Filling the Liners and Baking
Line a 12-cup pan with paper liners and fill each about ¾ full. A thin batter like this rises high, and full liners overflow. Bake at 350°F for 18 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Start checking at 18 minutes; overbaked cocoa cupcakes turn dry fast.
Let them cool completely, about 30 minutes, before any frosting goes on. A warm top melts butter frosting, and then the eyes and antlers slide right off.
A Chocolate Frosting That Holds Antlers
Beat the soft butter for about 2 minutes until smooth. Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa together, which saves you from lumps, and add them on low speed. Then add the vanilla, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of cream or milk, and beat on high for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
You want a frosting that holds a swirl and keeps pretzels upright. Add more cream only 1 teaspoon at a time, and only if it is too stiff to pipe. A soft frosting looks nice in the bowl but lets the antlers tip backwards. The texture is close to my candy cane cupcakes frosting, only cocoa-forward instead of minty. For a bigger batch or a layer cake, my easy chocolate frosting works the same way.
Giving Each Reindeer a Face
Pipe or spoon a generous swirl onto each cupcake. Press two mini pretzels into the back of the frosting, leaning out slightly, for antlers. Two candy eyes go just below, and a red M&M in the center makes the nose. This is the part kids love to help with.
If the pretzels lean or sink, chill the frosted cupcakes for 10 to 15 minutes and try again; firmer frosting grips them. Broken pretzels are fine. Half pieces make smaller antlers, and a slightly crooked set of eyes gives each reindeer its own expression. Red jelly beans or chocolate-covered cranberries work as noses too, and brown M&Ms or chocolate chips can add extra detail.
Looking for more Christmas characters? My snowman cupcakes use marshmallows for the head, and the same pretzel antler idea shows up on my Rudolph reindeer cookies and reindeer pancakes.
Baking Ahead and Storing
I have baked these a full day ahead and decorated them right before serving, and that is the easiest plan. Keep frosted cupcakes covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. If they have been in the fridge, let them sit out for about 30 minutes so the frosting softens, and add the pretzels and noses after that; cold cupcakes sweat, and the damp makes pretzels soft and red candy color run.
Unfrosted cupcakes freeze well for up to 1 month. I wrap them one by one and label the batch, so I can thaw just what I need. For a party, I line them up on a white tray in small groups with the antlers pointing different ways, and scatter a few mini candy canes around them.
Reindeer Cupcake Questions
Can I use a boxed chocolate cake mix?
Yes. Bake 12 chocolate cupcakes from any mix, let them cool, and frost and decorate them the same way. The pretzel antlers and candy faces work on any cupcake.
What pretzels work best for antlers?
Mini twist pretzels. Their loops look like antlers, and you can snap them in half for smaller reindeer. Salted pretzels give the sweet and salty bite that makes these taste better than they look.
Save these reindeer cupcakes to your Christmas baking board, and tell me in the comments what you used for the noses.
Reindeer Cupcakes Recipe
These reindeer cupcakes are chocolate Christmas cupcakes made with cocoa powder, buttermilk, oil and hot coffee, topped with a swirl of chocolate frosting and decorated with mini pretzel antlers, candy eyes and a red M&M nose. The recipe makes 12 cupcakes in about 1 hour 15 minutes, including 30 minutes of cooling, and they bake for 18 to 22 minutes at 350°F. The hot coffee makes a thin batter that bakes into a soft, moist crumb, and a stiff cocoa frosting holds the pretzel antlers upright. Make these easy reindeer cupcakes for Christmas parties, school treats and holiday dessert tables. Bake them a day ahead and add the pretzels on serving day so they stay crunchy.
Ingredients
- FOR THE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup buttermilk (room temperature)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup hot water or hot coffee
- ½ cup hot water or hot coffee
- FOR THE CHOCOLATE FROSTING
- FOR THE CHOCOLATE FROSTING
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- PREHEAT AND PREPARE: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a standard 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners.
- MIX DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- MIX WET INGREDIENTS: In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until smooth and fully incorporated.
- COMBINE BATTER: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Carefully mix in the hot water or coffee. The batter will be thin.
- BAKE CUPCAKES: Pour the batter evenly into the cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ full. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- MAKE FROSTING: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, then gradually add to the butter while mixing on low speed.
- FINISH FROSTING: Add the vanilla extract, pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons of cream or milk. Beat on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy. Add additional cream 1 teaspoon at a time if a softer consistency is needed.
- FROST CUPCAKES: Use a piping bag or spoon to swirl a generous amount of chocolate frosting on each cooled cupcake.
- DECORATE REINDEER: Press two mini pretzels into the top of each cupcake to create antlers. Add two candy eyes just below the pretzels, and place a red M&M in the center to make the nose.
- ADD PERSONALITY: Slightly adjust the placement of eyes or use different pretzel shapes to give each reindeer a unique look. Optional: Add brown M&M’s or chocolate chips for extra decoration.
Notes
Fill the liners only ¾ full; the batter is thin and rises high. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. If the pretzel antlers lean, chill the frosted cupcakes for 10 to 15 minutes, then press them in. Add the pretzels and noses on the day you serve, since pretzels soften in frosting. Hot water can replace the coffee. Store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; let chilled cupcakes stand 30 minutes before serving. Cupcakes can also be baked and frozen (undecorated) for up to 1 month.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 567Total Fat 32gSaturated Fat 15gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 79mgSodium 261mgCarbohydrates 66gFiber 2gSugar 49gProtein 6g
