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    Home » Recipes

    Candy Cane Cupcakes

    Published: Jan 4, 2021 · Modified: Feb 28, 2023 by Emily · This post may contain affiliate links · 14 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    These cute and festive Candy Cane Cupcakes are the perfect Christmas or Holiday treat. Topped with homemade peppermint buttercream frosting, these cupcakes taste just like a candy cane!

    candy-cane-cupcakes-on-a-stand close up

    These Candy Cane Cupcakes were created because I once again found myself with a ton of candy canes after Christmas wondering what to do with them. I really don't like to waste or just throw things away so I decided to make them into cupcakes! Now, these are an annual tradition and will be on my Christmas table every year!

    These cupcakes are super moist because they have butter and milk and little pieces of candy canes inside to add to the flavor and fun. The peppermint buttercream frosting is the perfect compliment to these minty and delicious treats.

    Ingredients Needed to Make Candy Cane Cupcakes

    • all-purpose flour
    • baking powder
    • salt
    • unsalted butter
    • eggs
    • sugar
    • milk
    • vanilla extract
    • peppermint extract
    • crushed candy canes
    • confectioners powdered sugar
    • heavy cream or milk
    • red gel food coloring
    • sprinkles of choice 
    candy cane cupcake with swirlde peppermint buttercream
    Click on the image above to PIN for later!

    How to Make Candy Cane Cupcakes

    1. Preheat the oven to 350° and prepare a cupcake pan with liners. This batter will make 12 regular cupcakes or 30 mini cupcakes.
    2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Combine the milk and the vanilla and peppermint extracts and also set aside.
    3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and continue to beat for 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, fully mixing them in each time. Put half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and beat in on low just until combined. Pour in the milk mixture and mix in. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and then the milk just until everything is combined.
    4. Crush the candy canes into small pieces in a bag. Add a small sprinkle of flour to the bag and shake to cover the candy cane pieces and add them to the batter and mix in.
    5. Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake liners until they are ¾ full. Bake for 12-14 minutes for mini cupcakes or 20-22 minutes for regular cupcakes (or until a toothpick comes out clean).
    mini candy cane cupcakes baked in a cupcake pan

    How to Make Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

    In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, cream the butter for 3-4 minutes with the beater attachment. Add one cup of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of cream or milk and fully combine. Repeat with another cup of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of cream. Add the extracts and continuing mixing. Add more powdered sugar and cream to get your desired sweetness and consistency.

    peppermint frosting swirled on top of a candy cane cupcake

    Tips for Making Candy Cane Cupcakes

    In order to make the best cupcakes ever, make sure you follow all of the steps in this recipe.

    One of the most important things is to make sure your ingredients are all at room temperature before baking. Another super important tip is DO NOT OVERMIX the batter. Otherwise, you will end up with dense cupcakes, which is not good.

    Only use your stand mixer or hand mixer to get everything combined at the end. Use your spatula to scrape down the bowl and incorporate the candy cane pieces Lastly, make sure the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. Frosting that is runny and melted is never a good thing.

    More Holiday Recipes to Check Out

    • Candy Cane Syrup
    • Reindeer Rice Krispie Treats
    • Boozy Sugared Cranberries
    • Almond Kiss Cookies
    • Santa Hat Rice Krispie Treats
    • Gingerbread Donuts
    candy cane cupcakes swirled with peppermint buttercream frosting

    Candy Cane Cupcakes

    These festive and cute Candy Cane Cupcakes are the perfect Christmas or Holiday dessert and tastes just like the candy!
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes
    cooling time: 23 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 30 mini cupcakes
    Calories: 334kcal
    Author: EmilyFabulous

    Equipment

    • large mixing bowl
    • 2 medium mixing bowls
    • small mixing bowl
    • silicone or rubber spatula
    • cupcake pan (mini or regular)
    • cupcake liners
    • stand mixer or hand mixer
    • plastic wrap
    • pastry bag and piping tip

    Ingredients

    Candy Cane Cupcakes

    • 1⅓ cup all-purpose flour
    • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temp
    • 2 large eggs, room temp
    • 1 cup sugar
    • ½ cup milk, room temp
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
    • ¼ cup crushed candy canes (about 2 large candy canes)

    Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

    • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temp
    • 2-3 cups confectioners powdered sugar
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
    • 2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or milk
    • red gel food coloring
    • sprinkles of choice (optional, but ALWAYS a good idea!)

    Instructions

    Candy Cane Cupcakes

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
      mini cupcake pan with liners
    • In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Combine the milk and the vanilla and peppermint extracts and also set aside.
      flour and baking powder mixture
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth with the whisk attachment. Add the sugar and continue to beat until creamy and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, fully mixing them in each time. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat in on low just until combined. Add the milk mixture and mix in. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and then the milk just until everything is combined. Don't overmix or your cupcakes will be dense! Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed in.
      creamed butter, sugar and eggs for cupcakes
    • Crush the candy canes into small pieces in a bag. Add a small sprinkle of flour to the bag and shake to cover the candy cane pieces. This will help them float in the batter instead of going right to the bottom. Add the candy canes to the batter and give a few gentle stirs to mix in.
      candy cane cupcake batter
    • Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake liners until they are ¾ full. Bake for 12-14 minutes for mini cupcakes or 20-22 minutes for regular cupcakes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Allow the cupcakes to fully cool before frosting.
      candy cane cupcakes cooling on a rack

    Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

    • In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, cream the butter for 3-4 minutes with the beater attachment. Add one cup of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of cream or milk and fully combine. Repeat with another cup of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of cream. Add the extracts and continue mixing. Add more powdered sugar and cream to get your desired sweetness and consistency (I used 2 cups powdered sugar and 2 tablespoon cream).
      peppermint buttercream frosting in a bowl
    • To get the swirl, you will need to place half of the frosting in another mixing bowl. Add the red food coloring and mix in completely.
      red peppermint buttercream frosting
    • Spread out a piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Take the white frosting and lay it out in a line. Do the same with the red frosting right next to the white. Gently roll the two frostings together creating a tube, hold each end of the plastic wrap and spin around until each end is nice and tight.
      white and red peppermint frosting wrapped in plastic
    • Cut off one end and place the entire plastic tube into the piping bag fitted with a tip. When you squeeze out the frosting you will have half red and half white! Add sprinkles if desired and enjoy!
      peppermint frosting swirled on top of a candy cane cupcake

    Notes

    • This recipe makes 12 regular cupcakes or 30 mini cupcakes.
    • Nutrition info is for 1 regular cupcake. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 48.6g | Protein: 2.8g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9.2g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 40mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 35.7g | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg

    Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.

    swirled peppermint frosting on top of a candy cane cupcake
    Click on the image above to PIN for later!

    Show Me Your Candy Cane Cupcakes!

    If you get a chance to make this recipe, leave a comment below and tag me on Instagram or Facebook and show me! And, if you want to have all the fun and delicious recipes in your inbox, sign up for my mailing list and follow me on Pinterest so you never miss a recipe!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gina Abernathy says

      December 08, 2021 at 6:48 pm

      5 stars
      So pretty and festive!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        December 08, 2021 at 8:02 pm

        Thanks, Gina!

        Reply
    2. Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says

      December 08, 2021 at 1:44 pm

      5 stars
      How gorgeous are these cupcakes? We always have leftover candy canes and now I know what to do with them lol.

      Reply
      • Emily says

        December 08, 2021 at 4:35 pm

        Yes! they are so yummy and work great for new years too 🎉

        Reply
    3. Bobbie says

      December 08, 2021 at 8:54 am

      5 stars
      Hi Emily, love this recipe! It is so festive and perfect for the holidays!!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        December 08, 2021 at 11:16 am

        Thanks, Bobbie. Happy Holidays!

        Reply
    4. Sue says

      December 08, 2021 at 8:45 am

      5 stars
      This is a perfect holiday cupcake!! Pinning!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        December 08, 2021 at 11:16 am

        Yes! You can never go wrong with a cupcake!

        Reply
    5. Cindy Mom, the Lunch Lady says

      January 05, 2021 at 4:18 pm

      5 stars
      What beautiful cupcakes!! With a few flavour changes they could easily be make all year round. YUM!!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        January 05, 2021 at 4:30 pm

        Thank you!! You are right, Cindy. The base of these cupcakes is perfect for so many flavor possibilities.

        Reply
    6. Holly Poulsen says

      January 05, 2021 at 4:06 pm

      5 stars
      I absolutely love how you swirled the colors in the frosting! They look fabulous!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        January 05, 2021 at 4:07 pm

        Thanks, Holly! It's surprising easy to do if you just take a few extra steps, and totally worth it!

        Reply
    7. Gabriela Herrera says

      January 05, 2021 at 2:07 am

      5 stars
      These are just the most beautiful cupcakes i have ever seen. I love how they can easily adapt to Valentines Day as well. A must try for sure.

      Reply
      • Emily says

        January 05, 2021 at 3:20 am

        Thanks, Gabriela...I actually didn't even think of that but you're right, they would be great for Valentine's Day as well!

        Reply

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