Are you looking for a fun and festive dessert that is easy to make and sure to impress your guests? Look no further than these Christmas Pull Apart Cupcakes!
This recipe is made with a boxed cake mix, canned frosting, and fun candy decorations. It's in the shape of a tree and all people have to do is take a cupcake to serve themselves.
Check out all the other Christmas Snacks for more fun holiday ideas!
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Since this recipe uses a cake mix and canned frosting, it's the perfect easy dessert for the busiest time of year!
This cupcake cake is fun for the kids...and big kids too! You can easily bring this to school for a holiday party or serve it at a church event.
Have fun with the decorating and get the kids involved.
Looking for more Easy Desserts for the holidays? Try my Nutella Christmas Trees on Sticks or my Easy Christmas Cupcakes.
Table of Contents
- Pull Apart Cupcake Cake
- 🛒Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Main Ingredients Needed
- Substitutions and Variations
- Step-by-Step Instructions
- Free Printable Template
- Kitchen Tool Spotlight
- Decorating Instructions
- LOVE this recipe? SAVE it for Later!
- Recipe FAQ's
- Storage and Reheating Instructions
- More Recipes You'll Love!
- 📖 Recipe Card
- 💬 Comments
Pull Apart Cupcake Cake
Use a sturdy base: Before you get started, decide on what you're going to serve this pull apart cake on. A cake board or large platter is best.
Plan your design: Arrange the cupcakes in the design you have planned. For this recipe, we're doing a Christmas Tree. Check out the FREE graphic printable below that shows exactly how many cupcakes are needed for this project.
Frosting is key: You could make homemade cream cheese frosting and dye it green. For this recipe I used two cans of canned frosting. Just make sure whichever frosting you use, that it's thick and not too thin.
Secure the cupcakes: If you find the cupcakes are not close enough to each other, you can try adding a dab of frosting to the sides of the cupcakes and get them to stick together.
Have fun: Use sprinkles, candies, chocolate chips, or anything else you can think of to decorate your Christmas Tree Cupcake Cake!
🛒Helpful Kitchen Tools
Wilton Christmas Red & Green Mini Cupcake Liners, 150-Count
ALLTOP Piping Bags and Tips Set -Ultimate Cake Decorating Supplies Kit - Included 100 Disposable Pastry Bags, 1 Reusable Silicone Bag, 2 Couplers, 12 Frosting Tips, 2 Ties, 3 Icing Scrapers for BakingGoodCook MegaGrip 12-Cup Nonstick Steel Cupcake and Muffin Pan with Silicone Grip Handles, Gray
Main Ingredients Needed
Below is a quick preview of the ingredients you’ll need. For exact amounts, check the recipe card below. You can also use the "Shopping List button" to create a printable shopping list, or the "Get Ingredients button" in the recipe card to order groceries online.
Substitutions and Variations
Use any cake mix flavor you'd like or make a homemade cupcake like I did in my Reindeer Cupcakes.
You could make your own frosting like my homemade cream cheese frosting instead of using the canned frosting.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Print out the free Christmas tree cupcake cake template to refer to when arranging your cupcakes.
Free Printable Template
Don't forget to grab the free printable template to help you build your own Christmas Tree Cupcake Cake! It makes arranging the cupcakes super easy, so you can create a festive masterpiece at home.
Step 2: Arrange the cupcakes in a tree shape using the template as a guide.
Step 3: Frost the cupcakes in the triangle with green frosting, then frost the bottom 2 cupcake with the chocolate frosting.
Kitchen Tool Spotlight
Disposable pastry bags make decorating cupcakes a breeze! Just throw them away when you're done, no washing needed.
Decorating Instructions
Step 4: Pipe white frosting in a zig zag pattern to create a garland on the tree.
Step 5: Add the M&M's for the tree's ornaments.
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Recipe FAQ's
To view the answers, simply click on the down arrow (⬇) next to each question. If you have any other questions not answered here, please leave a comment!
While 24 cupcakes is a common number for pull-apart cakes, the exact amount can vary. Some designs might need more or fewer cupcakes, depending on the size and shape you're aiming for.
A standard box of cake mix typically makes 12-24 regular cupcakes, but you can get around 60 mini cupcakes from the same box. The exact yield can vary based on factors like how full you fill the liners and the specific brand of mix.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Refrigerate: Refrigerate the cupcakes in an airtight container. Allow them come to room temperature before serving.
Freezer: Flash freeze the frosted cupcakes uncovered on a baking sheet, then individually wrap and store in an airtight container or zip top freezer bag for 2-3 months.
Thaw: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Unwrap the cupcakes then allow to come to room temperature to serve.
More Recipes You'll Love!
Check out my other recipe for a fun Reindeer Cupcake Cake. Or you might like this recipe for Angel Food Cupcakes.
📖 Recipe Card
Christmas Pull Apart Cupcakes
Video
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix (plus ingredients listed on box)
- 16 ounce can vanilla frosting
- 16 ounce can chocolate frosting
- M&M candies
- green food coloring
Method
- Bake the cupcakes as directed on the box and let them cool completely.
- Next, arrange the cupcakes according to the template in the shape of a Christmas tree.
- Frost the bottom two cupcakes with chocolate frosting to create the trunk.
- Tint the white frosting green with a few drops of food coloring. Make sure you save some white frosting to use for the garland.
- Frost the remaining cupcakes with the green frosting using a swirling motion.
- Connect each cupcake by piping frosting between them, filling any gaps.
- With the remaining white frosting and a star tip, pipe a garland design on top of the green cupcakes.
- Finally, decorate the tree with M&M candies for ornaments.
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