Santa Hat Cupcakes
Easy and simple Santa Hat Cupcakes are made with strawberries and a yummy classic vanilla buttercream frosting. Such a festive holiday cupcake recipe!

Santa Hat Cupcakes
If you are here looking for festive holiday desserts, I have quite a few that I think you need to see! For Christmas Cookies, try these Eggnog cookies.
For simple Christmas Treats, these Peanut Butter Snowballs are perfect.
These Turtle Cookies are sure to impress, I love that they taste exactly like the famous treat, but in cookie form.
Also, you can’t beat a classic, so you need to make these Peanut Butter Confetti Squares at least once a season.
No matter how much we do during the Christmas season, I have time to make out easy Christmas dessert recipes.
Sometimes the easiest baking during the holiday season is simply to adapt the decorating style to suit. The best Christmas desserts are tasty, themed and fit into the busy holiday season.
Need easy Christmas cupcake ideas? These perfect Santa Cupcakes are such a cute and festive idea for a Christmas cupcake.
They are easy Christmas cupcakes that are incredibly simple to make.

These festive cupcakes are not harder to make when compared to regular cupcakes – just simply decorate on an adorable theme!
When doing my holiday baking, oftentimes I don’t like going for in-your-face typical recipes that include eggnog or peppermint for instance.
Instead I take my tried and true cupcakes, cake, cookies or fudge – then add festive shapes or sprinkles.Boom, easy right?
The thing I love most about these Santa Hat Cupcakes, aside from the delicious taste of course – is that they are so stinking cute.
Kids and adults alike can’t help but to smile on first glance at these cutest christmas cupcakes.
These christmas chocolate cupcakes are perfect for bringing along to the next holiday party, they’re sure to be a hit and spread that holiday cheer.
Ingredients Required
These Festive Christmas Cupcakes are so super easy, without being an excellent decorator. Here are the ingredients you’ll need.
The full recipe and detailed instructions are below in the printable recipe card.
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- salt
- unsalted butter
- white sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
FOR THE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
- butter
- icing sugar / confectioners sugar
- vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- whole milk or heavy cream
- fresh strawberries
How to Make Santa Hat Cupcakes
Preheat the oven and line a muffin pan with your choice of christmas cupcake liners (paper liners).
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
In another large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
You can use an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla.
Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the liners 3/4 full of the cupcake batter.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Place cupcakes on a wire rack to cool.
To Make the buttercream frosting: Place softened butter into a bowl and beat in 2 cups of icing sugar.
Add 2 Tablespoons heavy cream and vanilla.
Add remaining icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency of fluffy frosting.
Decorate: Spoon the white frosting into a piping bag fitted with a 2D Wilton tip, or other preferred large piping tip such as the 1m tip.
Swirl the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes, starting in the center – moving outwards and then back in and up, being careful not to give the frosting too much height.
While the frosting is soft, press a hulled strawberry on top so that the cut edge is against the frosting.
Add a small dot of frosting to the tip of the strawberry and let set. The end results are Santa Hats made of white icing and strawberries!
Repeat hats with remaining cupcakes.
If your house is really warm, place these cute and delicious cupcake in the refrigerator so they don’t lose shape.

Why I Love this Christmas Cupcake Recipe:
Many Santa Hat Cupcake recipes or Christmas Tree Cupcakes involve making the hat out of frosting, which requires a lot of frosting and can be intimidating for those that are frosting-intimidated.
This is a much simpler and faster way to get the effect, thanks to the help of strawberries and a yummy classic vanilla buttercream frosting.
The great thing is that they are much fun, and NOT much work. Plus they are such elegant cupcakes.
If you are picky with your vanilla frosting and find most to be way too sweet, check out my Dream Whip Icing, I made this one for most of my desserts.
It’s AMAZING and way less sweet than royal icing.
To Store, place these perfect cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
I adore this Christmas cupcake, it’s yummy and impressive! North pole theme, easily made!
For More Christmas Cupcake Recipes:
Also make sure to make these Eggnog Cupcakes. This is another of our favourite easy christmas cupcake recipes.
This isn’t a themed cupcakes recipe per say, yet you can easily use this recipe and also make a Santa Hat decoration on top.
Yet for a gingerbread flavor, try these Salted Caramel Gingerbread Cupcakes!
Your busy holiday season needs a No-Bake recipe, so try our delicious Easy Eggnog Pie.


Santa Hat Cupcakes
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons butter (softened)
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 3-4 cups icing sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 2-3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- Strawberries (can use red frosting instead, green trimmed)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Line a muffin pan with themed cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
For the frosting
- Place softened butter into a bowl and beat in 2 cups of icing sugar. Add 2 Tablespoons heavy cream and vanilla.
- Add remaining icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
- Spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a 2D Wilton tip, or other preferred large piping tip.
- Swirl the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes, starting in the center – moving outwards and then back in and up, being careful not to give the frosting too much height.
- While the frosting is soft, press a hulled strawberry on top so that the cut edge is against the frosting.
- Add a small dot of frosting to the tip of the strawberry and let set.
- Repeat with remaining cupcakes.
Wondering how I might make these without sugar for my 18mo old… maybe date sugar and just whipped cream for the frosting? Maybe some Collagen to set it or gelatin?
Hi Jasmine, How about this frosting? It’s my favorite, so good! https://myorganizedchaos.net/dream-whip-icing-frosting-that-is-light-and-not-too-sweet