Grinch Cupcakes

Make easy Grinch Cupcakes with a doctored red velvet cake mix, bright green vanilla buttercream, and red heart sprinkles for festive Christmas fun.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword christmas cupcakes

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings cupcakes

Calories 285kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

1 (15.25-ounce) box red velvet cake mix
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Neon green gel food coloring
24 red heart sprinkles

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep the oven and pans. Preheat your oven to 350°F (177ºC) and line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. For the most even bake, position your oven rack in the center.
Mix the cupcake batter. In a large mixing bowl, combine the red velvet cake mix (1 box), buttermilk (1 cup), vegetable oil (1/2 cup), eggs (3), and vanilla (1 teaspoon). Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, until the batter is smooth and slightly fluffy. Try not to overmix—once it looks well combined, you’re done.
Fill and bake the cupcakes. Divide the batter evenly among the liners, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake for 15–20 minutes, starting to check at 15 minutes.
The cupcakes are done when a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If your oven bakes unevenly, rotate the pans front-to-back halfway through. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Make the green buttercream. In a stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the softened butter (1 cup) on medium speed for 2–3 minutes, until it’s very creamy and a bit lighter in color.
Slowly add the powdered sugar (4 cups), about 1 cup at a time, alternating with the heavy cream (3 tablespoons), mixing on low until incorporated after each addition.
Once everything is in, increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is smooth, thick, and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla (1 teaspoon) and just enough neon green gel food coloring to reach a bright Grinch-y green.
If the frosting seems too thick, add a little more cream, 1 teaspoon at a time; if it’s too soft for piping, beat in a bit more powdered sugar until it holds a nice swirl. If you’d like to take the sweetness down a notch, you can also beat in a tiny pinch of salt to balance the flavor.
Decorate the cupcakes. Spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe generous swirls of frosting onto each completely cooled cupcake. Gently press one red heart sprinkle onto the side or top of each swirl so it really pops against the green.
Serve right away, or store the cupcakes covered at cool room temperature for up to a day, or in the fridge for a bit longer—just let them come back toward room temp before serving for the softest texture.

Notes

Start with truly softened butter. Your butter should give slightly when pressed but not look greasy or melty. Too cold and your frosting will be lumpy; too warm and it can turn soupy and lose its shape when you pipe it.
Sift the powdered sugar for silky frosting. It’s one little step that makes a big difference in texture, especially with a bright color where any little lump will show. Just sift it into a bowl before adding it to the butter.
Taste your frosting before you color it. Once you add neon green, it’s harder to “read” the flavor visually. Adjust the vanilla and salt while it’s still white so the sweetness is balanced and the vanilla flavor is just right.
Go slowly with the gel color. Gel coloring is concentrated. Start with a small dab, mix well, then add more as needed. It’s much easier to deepen the color than to fix frosting that’s gone too dark or unnaturally neon.
Chill briefly for cleaner swirls. If your kitchen is warm, pop the filled piping bag in the fridge for about 10 minutes before you start decorating. Slightly cooler frosting holds its shape beautifully when you pipe tall swirls.

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