Sprinkle these with confectioners’ sugar for a snow-kissed look.

Prep Time: 25-30 minutes, cook time: 20 minutes, servings: 12

 

Ingredients
Cupcakes
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 whole eggs, plus 1 yolk, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
13/4 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
Frosting
1 cup sugar
3 egg whites
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Green food-coloring paste
Rainbow nonpareils
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. To make cupcakes, in a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add eggs, mixing well after each addition; stir in vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually add to the egg mixture in alternate batches with buttermilk and mix until smooth. Spoon batter evenly into prepared tin and bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
3. To prepare the frosting, put sugar and egg whites into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until it reaches 140F on a candy thermometer. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until the mixture has doubled in volume and forms stiff, glossy peaks, about 3 minutes. Gradually add butter, beating constantly, until smooth. Fold in vanilla. Reserve one fourth of finished frosting in a bowl. Tint remaining frosting with food coloring and spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a medium star-shape tip.
4. Spread a thin layer of plain frosting on top of each cupcake. Starting from the center, pipe pointed branch shapes toward the edge, turning the cupcake as you go, until you have the bottom of a tree. Repeat, making the branches shorter with each layer as you get to the top of the tree. Decorate with nonpareils.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 whole eggs, plus 1 yolk, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

13/4 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

Frosting

1 cup sugar

3 egg whites

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Green food-coloring paste

Rainbow nonpareils

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

2. To make cupcakes, in a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add eggs, mixing well after each addition; stir in vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually add to the egg mixture in alternate batches with buttermilk and mix until smooth. Spoon batter evenly into prepared tin and bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

3. To prepare the frosting, put sugar and egg whites into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until it reaches 140F on a candy thermometer. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until the mixture has doubled in volume and forms stiff, glossy peaks, about 3 minutes. Gradually add butter, beating constantly, until smooth. Fold in vanilla. Reserve one fourth of finished frosting in a bowl. Tint remaining frosting with food coloring and spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a medium star-shape tip.

4. Spread a thin layer of plain frosting on top of each cupcake. Starting from the center, pipe pointed branch shapes toward the edge, turning the cupcake as you go, until you have the bottom of a tree. Repeat, making the branches shorter with each layer as you get to the top of the tree. Decorate with nonpareils.