Christmas Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

I think we can all agree that I am not the best cupcake decorator out there. These originally started out as Christmas "tree" cupcakes but the tree part got lost when I just started making leaning towers of frosting instead of anything that resembled a tree. I am perfectly OK with that since these are festive enough for me and were so much fun to make. They are also really really moist and delicious!


I used Baker's Corner Holiday Confetti box cake mix for the cupcakes. I have not used Baker's Corner products before and can I just say I am extremely impressed?! John found the cute cupcake present liners at our local Dollar store. 

confetti Christmas colors - love it!

So start off with your favorite cupcake recipe, boxed or otherwise. Then whip up this vanilla buttercream frosting.


Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract


In a bowl, combine butter, sugar and salt. Beat until blended.


Add the milk and vanilla. Beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and creamy.


I then used this handy little bottle of Wilton's Leaf Green Icing color. 4 dipped toothpicks produced this green which is exactly what I was looking for. I also saved about 4 tablespoons and used liquid yellow egg dye (food coloring) for the yellow tops.

 I used the small star shaped tip on my Wilton's cake decorating tool to make the frosting more "fun" than just using a frosting knife. Your choice. Add sprinkles for even more fun.

I keep these in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Get the kids to help with these too! Have fun. :)