Little Murph's Kitchen Creations: The 12 Days of Christmas Cupcakes

12 Days of Cupcakes

This year instead of all the usual Christmas cookies, I decided to make the 12 different kinds of cupcakes. This would not have been possible without the help of my wonderful husband (dish boy and sous chef haha). We spent two full days whipping up around 200 cupcakes creations. Each one chosen with a reason for the season.

#1 Peppermint Chip with Mint Infused Buttercream: Candycanes hung on the tree and peppermint hot chocolate; sounds like Christmas time to me. This cupcake has a fresh mint-leaf infused cream that gives the true mint flavor. Also, chopped mint chocolate in the cake itself. I crushed candycane over the top and found that either tiny magical elves made it disappear or it reacts with the frosting.

#2 Eggnog Cake with Spiced Rum Buttercream: Eggnog with a little kick reminds me of my grandfather and his homemade version; delicious but strong. Definitely not one for the kids, the frosting has a nice rum flavor but not too overpowering. I dressed it up with a little brown sugar sprinkle and a cinnamon stick.

#3 Gingerbread Cake with Zinfandel Buttercream: I usually take the time to roll out and decorate adorable gingerbread cookies but this is a fresh and easy alternative. An odd combination, that just works. The Zinfandel wine is reduced and added to the buttercream for a touch of added flavor. The fresh grated ginger in the cake really comes through. The cake is extremely moist and messy. I debated making my own gingerbread cookie toppers but it just seemed like too much.

#4 Vanilla Bean: Just like a delicious sugar cookie left for Santa! The vanilla bean added to the cake and frosting is a must have to add more complexity to a simple vanilla cake. A simple green dollop of frosting with a candy star and sprinkle makes adorable green trees.

#5 Peanutbutter Buckeyes: Peanut butter balls are a family tradition so I turned it into a cupcake. This rich dense cake with creamy peanut butter frosting and a chocolate ganache drizzle is the perfect comfort food. There's even a surprise peanut butter cup in the center. No decorations needed!

#6 Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting: An old stand-by. Pretty simple but festive in color for the holiday season. Topped with a few red-hot candies and buttercream green leaves (thanks to my cake decorating class and just a tip).

#7 Chocolate Covered Cherries: A candy that usually comes as a boxed treat, now in cupcake form? A cherry in the center sandwiched between two pieces of milk chocolate in a rich chocolate cake. It's topped with a cherry juice infused cream cheese based frosting and another cherry covered in rich melted chocolate. Elegant and rich!

#8 Champagne Cake with a Champagne Cream Filling and Champagne Buttercream: Bubbly champagne, a New Year's Eve staple. Every part of this cake is infused with Prosecco (Italian champagne). The trickiest part is cooking the Bavarian cream filling from scratch and getting the right consistency. I'm still amazed every time is thickens and turns into the perfect cream. Elegant candy pearls to look like bubbly champagne is all this cupcake needs.

#9 Buttermilk Waffle Cupcake with Candied Bacon, Maple Buttercream, and Bourbon Caramel Drizzle: Buttermilk waffles are great for holiday breakfast and brunches! My husband calls this his breakfast cupcake with all the essentials he needs, eggs, buttermilk, and bacon. You may think that bacon in a cupcake is odd but you'll never want one without it again. To candy the bacon you simply sprinkle it with brown sugar and bake it on high temperature until crispy, I could seriously eat it like candy! These do have many parts to make including homemade caramel and buttermilk waffles but definitely worth the effort.

#10 Mulled Wine Spice Cake: Mulled wine is a clove-spiced drink generally served hot on blistering cold days or after hitting the snow-covered slopes. This recipe actually had to be converted from and old British recipe and didn't exactly convert nicely. The mulled wine is reduced and turned into gel form as a fruity filling. The British make their buttercream in a very different manner with a flour paste cooked and added to thicken it (not sure if I would do this again). I added a sugared grape for a bit more flare.

#11 North Pole Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache and Marshmallow Whipped Frosting:
Rich chocolate hot cocoa with melting marshmallows really warms the hearts of both children and adults during the long cold winters. This cupcake is rich and melt in your mouth good. Speaking of melting, the poles of mint eventually melted into holes, something about the peppermint and frosting makes it disintegrate. I've never made my own marshmallow before, coolest thing ever! The mixture goes from clear liquid to white marshmallow goodness in the blink of an eye. Just ask my husband, I was dancing around the kitchen amazed at what I had made :-)

#12 Orange Creamsicle: It may not seem like a holiday treat but my great aunt always gave us oranges for our stockings at Christmas. Also, my husband requested a replacement for my delicious orange balls that I usually make for the holidays. This cupcake truly tasted like an orange creamsicle with the orange cake and orange infused buttercream. I used a special technique for the two-colored frosting. You wrap up two different 'logs' of frosting in Saran wrap; one of each color. Then place them down in your pastry bag but make sure that they are both evenly touching the tip (if not one frosting will take over and the other won't come out). I topped it with a part of a jelly orange slice.

So much fun!! They made great gifts and party platters. The only downside is that they won't keep like cookies do. Store in a cold place (refrigerator if you have enough room) and set out at least a half hour before serving to let the frosting soften. Lil' Murph's Kitchen was very productive this holiday season!