Snowman cupcakes
These cute snowman cupcakes are the perfect winter treat for all the family! Use your favourite cupcake recipe and simply add some marshmallow snowman!
These cute snowman cupcakes are the perfect winter treat for all the family! The cupcake is pretty straightforward – you could use any cupcake recipe you like or a packet mix, and just add the snowmen on top. Kids will certainly enjoy making and eating them – they’re perfect for any Christmas party or cake sale.
How can kids help make the snowman cupcakes?
These snowman cupcakes just use our easy vanillla cupcake recipe so as with most baking recipes your kids can help with measuring out all the ingredients and mixing them together. Once you’ve made the cupcake batter, in our house the kids love getting to scoop the cupcake batter into the cases and if you use an icecream scoop, this is an easy job for even little kids to do.
Decorating the snowmen is also a fun job for kids to help with. Adding the arms, and marking on the faces can be a bit fiddly for little kids, but it’s fun to give it a go, even if they look a bit wonky. If your kids struggle to do add the decoration to the marshmallows themselves they could help to add the smarties to the cupcakes for the snowmen’s buttons.
How long to snowman cupcakes keep?
These snowmen cupcakes can be stored for a couple of days in an airtight container.
If you want to keep them for longer you can freeze the undecorated cupcakes for a few months. Simply wrap them well in cling film / glad wrap and pop them in a freezer bag.
Defrost them fully before adding the icing and marshmallow snowmen.
What can I use instead of self raising flour?
If you don’t have self raising flour, which should be easy to find in UK supermarkets, you can swap it for an equal amount of plain or all-purpose flour and add in an extra teaspoon of baking powder and a generous pinch of salt.
What is baking spread?
Baking spread, or baking margarine (Stork is a well known example here in the UK), is just a non dairy margarine that’s great for baking. It can make sponges lighter and fluffier, which means it’s a good, cheaper alternative to butter. I think the flavour of butter is better so I still use that in icing.
Other fun and festive bakes
If you want to make some other fun bakes over the festive season why not check out all our Christmas bakes. Or find some of our favourite festive bakes for kids below:
Gingerbread men
Christmas reindeer brownies
Stained glass biscuits
Christmas sugar cookies
Christmas tree brownies
Gingerbread reindeer cookies
Gingerbread house
Christmas tree cupcakes
Chocolate Rice Krispie Christmas puddings
Melted snowman cookies
Nutella Christmas tree
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these snowmen cupcakes
Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Piping bag
Muffin tin
Cupcake cases
Wire rack
Edible cake pens
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Please refer to my Privacy Policy Page for more details.
Difficulty:Easy
Time:15 minutes + 16 minutes baking + 10 minutes decorating
Serves:12 cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
150g (13/4 cups) caster sugar
175g (1 1/2 cups) self-raising flour
150g (2/3 cups) unsalted butter or baking spread, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
For the icing
125g (1 cup) butter, softened
250g (2 cups) icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
A splash of milk
For the snowmen
12 white marshmallows
3-6 matchmaker chocolates
Drawing icing pens
Smarties
How to make snowman cupcakes
Pre heat the oven to 170C / 160C fan / 340 F and prepare your baking tin.
Get your kids to line a 12 hole cupcake tin with paper or silicone cupcake cases. Use festive colours if you have them.
Mix everything together
The beauty of this easy cupcake recipe is that you can just mix everything together in one bowl. It doesn’t matter what order you add them but if you stick to the order they’re listed you’re less likely to miss anything out.
Get your kids to measure the flour and caster sugar and add them to a large mixing bowl or freestanding mixer.
Add the butter or baking margarine if you’re using it. If you’re using butter, it needs to be soft enough so that it mixes in nicely. If yours is still too hard from the fridge, cut into a few pieces then pop it into the microwave for 10 seconds or so to soften it (not long enough to melt it). Baking spread/margarine is already soft so you can add that straight in if you’re using it.
Get your kids to add the vanilla and baking powder. When they’re adding the baking powder, make sure they use their finger to level the top of the teaspoon so that they add just the right amount.
When you’re adding the vanilla extract. If your kids are still young, you might need to hold the teaspoon while they pour in the vanilla or vice versa. Older children might be able to do it themselves, just make sure they hold the teaspoon level.
Finaly, crack the eggs into a small bowl. We never tend to add them straight in just in case any shell goes in. If (or when) it does, you can fish it out with a larger piece of shell or a teaspoon. It will stick better to that than it will your finger (and be less messy).
Mix everything together
Using the k-paddle of your free-standing mixer, a hand held mixer, or even wooden spoons mix everything together until the batter is nice and smooth. Try not to over mix it. Stop once it’s smooth and there are no visible lumps of flour.
Bake the cupcakes
Divide the mixture evenly between the paper cases. Get your kids to spoon the cupcake batter into each of the cases. They should end up around 3/4 full. You might need to help them even them up to make sure they’re all the same size otherwise they wont bake evenly.
Bake the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes until they are a nice golden brown colour. You can double check they are baked as they will spring back if you press down on them slightly. You can also insert a skewer or sharp knife into the middle and it should come out clean if they are baked through.
Cool them in the tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool fully.
Ice the snowman cupcakes
Get your toddler to measure out the butter, icing sugar, vanilla extract and a splash of milk into a large mixing bowl. Beat them together until they are light and fluffy. Cover the top of your mixer and start your mixer on a slow setting otherwise the icing will go everywhere. Once the icing has mixed in you can turn the speed up and keep mixing it for 5 minutes or so. The longer you mix it the softer and fluffier it will become.
Using a small palette knife (or a butter knife or the back of a spoon) spread the butter icing over each of the cooled cupcakes.
Make the snowman cupcakes
Start by drawing faces on each of the marshmallows with icing pens or cake pens. Break the matchmakers into four pieces (they don’t have to be completely evenly sized).
Carefully press each snowman on to the top of a cupcake, slightly to one side, then add the matchmaker arms and Smarties for buttons.
Serve and enjoy!
Snowman cupcakes
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pre heat the oven to 170C / 160C fan / 340 F and line a muffin tin with paper cases.
- Measure everything out and add them to a free-standing mixer or mixing bowl. You can do it in any order but if you stick to the order they are listed you shouldn't miss anything out. Start with the flour, and sugar. Next measure out the butter and cut it into small pieces and add it to your bowl. Add the baking powder and vanilla extract. Finally, add the eggs.
- Using the k-paddle of your free-standing mixer, a hand held mixer or even wooden spoons mix everthing together until it is nice and smooth.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the paper cases.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cupcakes are a nice golden brown colour and spring back when you lightly touch them.
- Cool them in the tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
- Measure out the butter and icing sugar, vanilla extract and a splash of milk and add them to a large mixing bowl. Beat them together until light and fluffy.
- Using a small palette knife (or a butter knife or the back of a spoospread the butter icing over each of the cooled cupcakes.
- Draw faces on the marshmallow using icing pens, or similar. Break the matchmakers into pieces and insert one on each side of the bottom marshmallow to make the snowman’s arms.
- Carefully press each snowman on to the top of a cupcake, slightly to the side, add the smartie buttons and push the matchstick arms into the sides.
Pin snowman cupcakes for later
Similar recipes
If you liked these snowman cupcakes you’ll love our other fun festive bakes or our favourite easy bakes for kids.
So much love for these pinning this for later so I can make over the weekend with the little! Thanks for linking up to #coolmumclub with this.
Thanks! They were fun to make and a hit for anyone who loves marshmallows (and snow!)
We are getting a huge snowstorm tomorrow! This would be great to make!!! #coolmumclub
We’re on day 3 of snow so I thought they were appropriate!
So festive and very cute indeed, these cupcakes would be great for selling at school Christmas fairs. Commenting as BritMums Baking Round-up Editor. 🙂