High Altitude Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
Soft and moist chocolate cupcakes with a hint of peppermint, frosted with the prettiest red and white swirled peppermint buttercream, and topped with peppermint candy.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Muffin Pans + 15 Paper Liners
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
- 16-inch Piping Bag
- Tip 1M
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 recipe Chocolate Cupcakes
- ½ tsp peppermint (not mint) extract
Buttercream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup vegetable shortening
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp meringue powder, optional
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint (not mint) extract
- "super red" gel food coloring
- candy, for decorating
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Prepare the Chocolate Cupcakes as instructed, then cool completely before frosting.Baker's Note: Omit the espresso powder and add 1/2 tsp peppermint extract to the cupcakes.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening for 1 minute until smooth.Baker's Note: You can replace the shortening with butter, if preferred, but using half butter and half shortening will make a whiter buttercream, for a prettier red and white contrast.
- Separately, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt. With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar mixture by spoonfuls, mixing until combined, but clumpy.
- Add the extracts, and increase the speed to medium. Whip the buttercream for about 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl down several times, until light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to "stir" and mix for 1 more minute.
Decorating
- Fit a 16-inch disposable piping bag with tip 1M.
- Use a small, clean craft brush and paint stripes of the red gel food coloring up the inside of the piping bag. You can do anywhere from 2-4 stripes, depending on how much red striping you want on the buttercream.
- Carefully fill the piping bag half full with the buttercream, trying to keep the stripes of food coloring from smearing too much.
- Pipe swirls of buttercream on top of the cooled cupcakes. Before refilling the bag, you may need to repaint the stripes.
- Top the cupcakes with candy. Note that candy canes and peppermint candy tends to melt and get sticky as it sits on the leftover cupcakes, so I recommend waiting to decorate the cupcakes until ready to serve them.
Notes
Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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