Rudolph Reindeer Cupcakes
Ingredients
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1¾ cups sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 tub of chocolate frosting
  • White and black cake decorating frosting tubes
  • 18 red M&Ms
  • 18 mini pretzel twists, cut in half
Instructions
  1. Line 2 cupcakes pans with paper liners and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, combine all dry ingredients (flour to salt).
  3. While mixing on low speed, add the eggs, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla.
  4. Stop the mixer and add the hot water. Restart the mixer and beat the ingredients on low speed for 1 minute, until well combined.
  5. Use a laddle to distribute the batter among the cupcake liners, filling each ¾ full.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes, and test with a toothpick - if it comes out dry, they are done!
  7. Cool for 2 minutes, then remove from the pan and set on a wire rack to finish cooling, about 1 hour.
  8. Frost each cupcake with the chocolate frosting with a butterknife, then mix the remaining frosting with the white cake frosting to make a lighter brown color. Add a filled-in circle of the light brown in the lower half of each cupcake, then draw the eyes above it with the white and black frosting.
  9. Add the M&M noses and pretzel antlers.
Makes 18 cupcakes
Recipe by My San Francisco Kitchen at https://www.mysanfranciscokitchen.com/rudolph-reindeer-cupcakes/