Description

Celebrate the festive season with these delightful Christmas Light Cupcakes, featuring a moist vanilla cake base topped with creamy vanilla buttercream frosting. Decorated with colorful gel food coloring and miniature chocolate chips as adorable ‘light bulbs’, these cupcakes bring a fun and sparkly holiday vibe to any gathering.

Ingredients

Cake

1 box of vanilla cake mix (or your favorite homemade vanilla cake recipe)
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs

Frosting

1 cup butter (softened)
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 tbsp milk

Decoration

Gel food coloring (red, green, yellow, blue)
Miniature chocolate chips or black candy for the “light bulbs”
Edible glitter (optional, for extra sparkle!)

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Instructions

Prepare the Cake Batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine the vanilla cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs. Mix until smooth and fully blended according to package or recipe instructions.
Bake the Cupcakes: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and fill each about two-thirds full with batter. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the Buttercream Frosting: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and continue beating until smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract and 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk as needed to achieve a spreadable consistency.
Color the Frosting: Divide the frosting into several small bowls. Add gel food coloring to each bowl (red, green, yellow, blue) and stir until evenly colored.
Decorate the Cupcakes: Using a spatula or piping bag, frost each cupcake with the colored frosting in a pattern reminiscent of tangled Christmas lights. Press miniature chocolate chips or black candies onto the frosting as the “light bulbs.” Sprinkle edible glitter on top if desired for extra sparkle.

Notes

If you prefer, you can use homemade vanilla cake batter instead of the boxed mix for a more personalized flavor.
Adjust the thickness of the frosting by adding more or less milk.
Use gel food coloring sparingly to avoid thinning the frosting too much.
Miniature chocolate chips work best for the ‘light bulbs,’ but other small candy pieces may also be used.
Edible glitter is optional but adds a festive touch perfect for holiday celebrations.