Whimsical North Pole Cupcakes
Moist and fluffy vanilla cupcakes cupcakes topped with snowy buttercream and a North pole. These Whimsical North Pole Cupcakes are so cute and so easy to make! I top them with organic candy canes and use an all natural decorating sugar that sparkles like real snow for festive cupcakes this holiday season that are free of artificial colors!
If you are looking for more naturally colored holiday desserts, try Christmas Lights Snack Gingerbread Cake, Vegan Christmas Tree Brownies, Eggnog Sheet Cake, or Tree Sugar Cookies Without Artificial Colors.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Whimsical North Pole Cupcakes
- Ready In: 35 minutes
- Makes: 12 cupcakes
- Main Ingredients: butter, cane sugar, sour cream, cake flour
- Flavor Profile: vanilla
- Dietary Info: no seed oils, gluten free swap available
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: festive Christmas cupcakes
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Festive and Fun: These Christmas cupcakes are whimsical and fun! Like you just landed at the North Pole.
- Organic: Decorating around the holidays can be challenging if you're following an organic lifestyle. But, these cupcakes make it easy. You can have your cake and eat it too!
- No Artificial Colors: There are no artificial colors in this recipe and I link to everything I used below so you can easily get it!
- Fun for Kids: If you have kids or even friends with kids, they will love these North Pole Cupcakes!
This recipe for Christmas Cupcakes is so cute and festive, and there are no artificial colors! Organic baking around the holidays can seem challenging at first when everything calls for red and green sprinkles or sugars. But, don't worry, stick with me as I got you covered with these Whimsical North Pole Cupcakes that are perfect for a holiday celebration and made with organic ingredients!
If you love decorating, but don't love artificial colors or harmful ingredients, check out more festive recipes that are all free of artificial colors! Easy Christmas Present Brownies and Chocolate Peppermint Christmas Tree Cupcakes are another quick and easy holiday dessert that's perfect for a party! Christmas Eve Cake and Holiday Sugar Cookies with Icing are delicious recipes for holiday dinner or to leave out for Santa!
And if you want more Christmas dessert recipes, check out Frosted Gingerbread Banana Bread, Peanut Butter Pretzel Christmas Crack, Candy Cane Crunch Dark Chocolate Cookies, Holiday Sugar Cookies with Icing, or Peppermint Bark Snack Cake.
Ingredients
- Sour Cream: Using organic sour cream in these vanilla cupcakes makes them very moist and fluffy. You could also use plain Greek yogurt if you prefer.
- Cake Flour: I use my Homemade Organic Cake Flour, store bought also works.
- Powdered Sugar: You'll need organic powdered sugar for the frosting.
- Vegetable Shortening: I use organic vegetable shortening for the frosting. This is my top trick for making really white organic frosting as it's whiter than when made with butter. But, you could also use butter if you prefer. The shortening gives these more of grocery store cupcake flavor, while butter will be richer, more like a gourmet cupcake. To each their own!
- Decorating Sugar: I use India Tree Nature's Colors White Decorating Sugar. This makes these cupcakes sparkle like freshly fallen snow!
- Candy Canes: YumEarth Organic Candy Canes are used for the North Pole. I also mix it up and use some of their organic blue raspberry candy canes.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Baker's Tips for Whimsical North Pole Cupcakes
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- Make sure your butter is soft. I like to leave out at room temperature before making the cupcakes. You can also leave it out overnight if it's cold where you live.
- It really helps to have the eggs, milk, and sour cream at room temperature. This will help get a really smooth cake batter with a delicate crumb. You can take these ingredients out a couple hours before baking. If you add cold ingredients into creamed butter, it can seize up, creating lumps. These lumps will then transfer to your cupcakes, resulting in drier cupcakes that don't have the best texture. That's why this is important.
- I use organic vegetable shortening for the frosting because this creates a white frosting. But, you can use butter if you prefer!
- Gluten Free — Replace the cake flour with 170 grams (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon) gluten free flour blend.
How to Make Whimsical North Pole Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with liners. To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Mix on low until combined and there are no chunks of butter.
- Add the eggs, milk, and sour cream and mix for a few rotations. It will look like cottage cheese at this stage. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to get the sugar that sticks to the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, add the cake flour, baking powder, and sea salt and whisk together. Add the cake flour mixture into the mixing bowl and mix on low until combined.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again to combine completely.
- Using a spoon or cupcake scoop, fill cupcake liners three-quarters full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the cupcake pans.
- To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the shortening, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk.
- Mix on low until combined, then speed mixer up to high and mix for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again until light and fluffy. Start with less milk, then add more to get the consistency that you like and you can easily pipe out. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #808. Add a small amount of frosting into a small bowl (this is for the frosting/snow on the North pole).
- Add the white decorating sugar to a small bowl. Break off the curved parts of the candy canes. Pipe a dollop of frosting onto a cupcake, then roll it in the white decorating sugar. This can be very freeform and I like how the mound can be in the middle or on the side, like a snowdrift. So, just let these be however they are! Dip the top of one of the broken off candy canes in the bowl with the the additional frosting. Then dip the frosting part in the white decorating sugar. Stick the cupcake with the North pole anywhere that you like. I put mine kind of on the side of the cupcake. (Watch the video, it really helps!)
Recipe FAQ's
Yes, there's a simple adjustment in the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for gluten free.
Yes, just be sure to store in a cake dome or in the fridge.
More Christmas Dessert Recipes
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Whimsical North Pole Cupcakes
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Cupcake Pans
- Piping Bag
- Ateco Tip #846
Ingredients
Batter
- 113 grams salted butter (softened)
- 170 grams cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- ½ cup milk (room temperature)
- 57 grams sour cream (room temperature)
- 170 grams cake flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Frosting
- 170 grams vegetable shortening
- 340 grams powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Toppings
- 1 bottle India Tree Nature's Colors White Decorating Sugar
- 6 YumEarth Organic Candy Canes
- 6 YumEarth Organic Blue Raspberry Candy Canes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with liners.
- To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined and there are no chunks of butter.
- Add the eggs, milk, and sour cream and mix for a few rotations. It will look like cottage cheese at this stage. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to get the sugar that sticks to the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, add the cake flour, baking powder, and sea salt and whisk together. Add the cake flour mixture into the mixing bowl and mix on low until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again to combine completely. Using a spoon or cupcake scoop, fill cupcake liners three-quarters full.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the cupcake pans. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).
- To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the shortening, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. Mix on low until combined, then speed mixer up to high and mix for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again until light and fluffy. Start with less milk, then add more to get the consistency that you like and you can easily pipe out.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #808. Add a small amount of frosting into a small bowl (this is for the frosting/snow on the North pole).
- Add the white decorating sugar to a small bowl. Break off the curved parts of the candy canes.
- Pipe a dollop of frosting onto a cupcake, then roll it in the white decorating sugar. This can be very freeform and I like how the mound can be in the middle or on the side, like a snowdrift. So, just let these be however they are!
- Dip the top of one of the broken off candy canes in the bowl with the the additional frosting. Then dip the frosting part in the white decorating sugar. Stick the cupcake with the North pole anywhere that you like. I put mine kind of on the side of the cupcake.
Video
Notes
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- Make sure your butter is soft. I like to leave out at room temperature before making the cupcakes. You can also leave it out overnight if it's cold where you live.
- It really helps to have the eggs, milk, and sour cream at room temperature. This will help get a really smooth cake batter with a delicate crumb. You can take these ingredients out a couple hours before baking. If you add cold ingredients into creamed butter, it can seize up, creating lumps. These lumps will then transfer to your cupcakes, resulting in drier cupcakes that don't have the best texture. That's why this is important.
- I use organic vegetable shortening for the frosting because this creates a white frosting. But, you can use butter if you prefer!
- Gluten Free — Replace the cake flour with 170 grams (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon) gluten free flour blend.
- High Altitude — Follow the recipe as noted.
Nutrition
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These are the best! My kids loved them. Highly recommend.
thank you so much Teresa!
Christmas Party Hit!!!!!! Empty tray guaranteed!!!
Amazing Tom!
Frosting is so light and fluffy just like I like my ❄️ snow! ⛷️ 🧁 😋