Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
Chocolate cake, peppermint cream filling, and vanilla buttercream star in these chocolate peppermint cupcakes. Nobody will guess this starts from a boxed cake mix!
Equipment
- Apple corer to remove centers of cupcakes for filling
- Piping bag with metal tip
Ingredients
- 1 box Duncan Hines Devil's Food cake mix
- 3 eggs or # on box if you use a different brand cake mix
- 1 cup water or amount on box if you use a different brand cake mix
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil or amount on box if you use a different brand cake mix
Filling
- 1 box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 cups half & half
- ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract
Frosting & Topping
- 2½ sticks unsalted butter softened/room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3¾ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon half & half
- 1 pinch salt
- crushed candy canes for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Bake cupcakes per package instructions. Recommended: Check cupcakes at the minimum baking time per the box to see if they're done. Baking the cupcakes just enough to be done is the key to their fluffiness!
- Allow cupcakes to cool completely. Filling and frosting can be made while the cupcakes are cooling.
- Make the filling by beating half & half and pudding mix together for 2 minutes. Set aside filling in the fridge.
- Make buttercream by beating together all ingredients. Beat at a high speed for a few minutes. Set aside.
- Use apple corer to remove centers of the cupcakes.
- Transfer filling to a piping bag with a large tip. Fill each cupcake with filling.
- Add frosting to a piping bag. Frost each cupcake.
- Top with crushed candy canes.
Nutrition information is an estimate for one serving.