The Best Fluffy Pancakes recipe you will fall in love with. Full of tips and tricks to help you make the best pancakes.
Winter baking calls for something magical—something that feels like the first snowfall of the season, comforting, beautiful, and festive enough to brighten even the coldest days. These Winter Chocolate Cupcakes with Snowflake Buttercream Frosting deliver all of that and more. With a rich, moist chocolate base and a dreamy, snowy swirl of buttercream decorated like delicate ice crystals, these cupcakes are the perfect seasonal treat for holiday parties, winter birthdays, seasonal photoshoots, and cozy nights in with hot cocoa.
The cupcakes are decadently chocolatey but not heavy, thanks to the combination of cocoa powder and a touch of hot milk that blooms the cocoa and deepens the flavor. The crumb stays soft and tender while still holding up beautifully under a generous swirl of frosting. The buttercream is light, silky, and colored with the softest winter blues and whites, mimicking real snowflakes glistening under the frost.
Whether you’re an avid holiday baker or whipping these up for the first time, you’ll appreciate how easy they are to make and how stunning they look with very little decorating skill required. Even a simple swirl topped with sugar pearls or snowflake sprinkles instantly transforms them into elegant winter treats. If you enjoy more intricate piping, you can create taller peaks, rosettes, or even hand-piped buttercream snowflakes on parchment paper to place over each cupcake.
These cupcakes are designed to be versatile—dress them up for a holiday dessert table, or keep them simple for a charming winter everyday treat. The combination of deep chocolate and airy vanilla frosting creates the perfect balance, making them crowd-pleasers for all ages.
Why You’ll Love This Winter Cupcake Recipe
✔ Moist, rich chocolate base
The cupcakes stay soft for days and have that perfect balance of sweet and chocolaty.
✔ Gorgeous winter-inspired frosting
The piped snowflakes and swirls give them a bakery-worthy look without needing special skills.
✔ Perfect for every winter occasion
Holiday celebrations, New Year’s Eve, classroom parties, winter birthdays, or cozy nights in.
✔ Easy to customize
Turn them into peppermint chocolate cupcakes, hot cocoa cupcakes, or snowstorm swirl cupcakes.
✔ Make-ahead friendly
Cupcakes can be made a day ahead, and the frosting freezes beautifully.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup hot milk or hot water (to bloom the cocoa)
Snowflake Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2–4 tbsp heavy cream or milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Blue gel food coloring (optional, pale winter blue)
- White shimmering sugar or edible glitter
- Snowflake sprinkles or sugar pearls
Instructions
1. Prepare the chocolate cupcake batter
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with winter-themed cupcake liners. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk egg, milk, oil, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix gently. Add the hot milk and whisk until smooth and glossy.
2. Fill and bake
Divide the batter evenly into the liners, filling each about ⅔ full. Bake for 18–20 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Let them cool on a wire rack.
3. Make the snowflake buttercream
Beat softened butter until creamy and pale. Add powdered sugar gradually, mixing on low. Add cream, vanilla, and salt. Increase the speed until fluffy. Tint a portion of the frosting pale blue (optional). Keep some frosting white.
4. Frost the cupcakes
Fit a piping bag with a star tip or snowflake piping tip. Pipe tall swirls using a mix of white and blue frosting for a winter gradient. Dust lightly with shimmering sugar.
5. Decorate
Top with edible pearls, snowflake sprinkles, or hand-piped buttercream snowflakes. Let them set before serving.
Winter Chocolate Cupcakes with Snowflake Buttercream Frosting
Moist chocolate cupcakes topped with silky winter-themed buttercream decorated like sparkling snowflakes.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.
- Whisk flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk egg, milk, oil, and vanilla.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, then stir in hot milk until smooth.
- Fill cupcake liners and bake 18–20 minutes until set.
- Beat butter, then add powdered sugar gradually. Add cream, vanilla, and salt.
- Tint some frosting light blue. Pipe swirls onto cooled cupcakes.
- Decorate with edible glitter, snowflake sprinkles, or sugar pearls.
Notes
Pipe frosting with two-tone blue and white frosting for a frosty winter swirl.
Tips for the Prettiest Snowflake Frosting
Use gel coloring only:
Liquid coloring thins the frosting.
Keep frosting cool:
Warm frosting doesn’t pipe crisp snowflake details.
Add white shimmer dust:
Makes the cupcakes sparkle like fresh snow.
Alternate frosting colors:
Place white and blue frosting side-by-side in one piping bag for a frosty swirl.
Flavor Variations
Peppermint Chocolate:
Add ½ tsp peppermint extract to the batter and frosting.
Hot Cocoa Cupcakes:
Fold mini marshmallows into the batter and top with cocoa dust.
Cookies & Snowflakes:
Add crushed white chocolate cookies into the frosting.
What to Serve With Winter Cupcakes
- Hot chocolate with whipped cream
- Spiced chai latte
- Peppermint mocha
- Warm milk with cinnamon
Storage Tips
Room temperature: 2–3 days in an airtight container
Refrigerator: Up to 5 days
Freezer: Freeze cupcakes unfrosted for up to 2 months
