Christmas tree cupcakes

Who wants boring cupcakes when you can have something much more Christmassy? These cupcakes looks pretty and taste of Christmas – just by adding a little bit of mixed spices, they’re instantly transformed in an amazing Christmas treat for everyone.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1tsp mixed spice
• 1 portion basic cupcake recipe mix

Buttercream

• 500g icing sugar
• 100g butter, room temperature
• 60ml milk
• Green gel food colouring
• 1tsp mixed spice

To decorate

• Sugar or chocolate stars
• Pearl lustre food spray like here
• Silver balls
• Large round piping tube + piping bag

Instructions

1. Make the cupcakes in pretty cases, mixing in the mixed spice at stage 3 on the instructions for the basic cupcake mixture.
2. To make the buttercream, mix the butter and milk together with the mixed spice. Then add the icing sugar bit by bit making sure the mixture is smooth.
3. Using a cocktail stick, add green food colouring until the desired colour is reached – I went for a lightish green but you could use a more traditional fir green if you like.
4. Place the tube into the piping bag and fill bag with buttercream. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
5. Pipe one large circle around the cupcake to make the base, then fill the middle. Squeeze directly into the middle of the circle and, pushing down gently, squeeze the bag so it forms another level on the tree. Stop before it reaches the size of the lower level.
6. Repeat with the top but pull up gently to create the peak.
7. Top with star and decorate with “baubles” using silver balls. Spray tops with lustre spray to give them a snowy effect.

Tip: Do one cupcake at a time, otherwise if the buttercream dries out it’ll be hard to put the stars and baubles on so easily!