Christmas cupcakes typically either are decorated to appear visually in keeping with other decorations or include flavors that are most commonly found during the holidays. Many different types of cupcakes can be made and decorated to have a general holiday aesthetic, including the use of frosting to make images on top of them. There are also Christmas cupcakes that can be made and decorated to appear like a Christmas tree coming up out of a wrapper. Although different ingredients can be used to incorporate holiday flavors into cupcakes, two of the most common are mint and eggnog.
Some of the most frequently made types of Christmas cupcakes are those designed and decorated to have a visual style that matches other elements of the holiday. A standard cupcake, for example, can be made and then decorated in a way that makes it match other Christmas objects such as tree decorations or presents. The basic shape of Christmas cupcakes make them easy to decorate to appear like a bulb ornament or like a snowball. Frosting can be used to make different images and designs on the top of these treats, such as elf or Santa Claus faces, and snowmen can be created quite easily.
A more complex design that can be used to make Christmas cupcakes entails creating a treat that looks like a miniature Christmas tree. This is typically done through the use of a pointed ice cream cone, into which cake batter is poured and baked to make a cupcake in the shape of a cone. These Christmas cupcakes are placed in a wrapper, so that the point is aimed upward, and frosted to have a light and fluffy appearance. Sprinkles and similar decorations can then be used to add “bulbs” and other edible ornaments to the trees.
There are also some Christmas cupcakes that are prepared using certain ingredients that give them a holiday flavor. Mint, for example, is commonly associated by many people with the Christmas season and the baking of various treats. Christmas cupcakes can be made with the addition of mint extract to the batter itself, though more commonly some extract or mint liqueur is added to frosting that is then used on the cupcakes. There are even recipes for eggnog cupcakes, which use eggnog in the place of milk in the recipe, and often include nutmeg to create a treat that tastes like the traditional holiday beverage.