Easy Grinch Cupcakes
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. When you click on a link and/or make a purchase, I may be paid a small commission at no additional cost to you. Additionally, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my Disclosure page for more information.
The Grinch cupcakes are fluffy, festive and topped with a homemade cream cheese frosting. They are a fun addition to your holiday gatherings and Christmas parties.
Baking season is almost here and while you may think of cookies, breads, and comfort food, today I am switching it up for cupcakes. And not just any old cupcakes.
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
We’re sharing tips to help you get the best results with this recipe. If you don’t need the tips, scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and a printable recipe card.
These Grinch cupcakes are a vibrant shade of green, so don’t be surprised when you can’t keep little hands off the dessert table. You’ll also notice the pretty red specks that peek through the cake from the baked in candy melts.
As you are watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas, you may be inspired to make green themed treats. Be sure to try my edible Grinch Cookie Dough along with this easy Grinch rocky road candy that everyone goes crazy for.
These recipes are also great if you want to host a baking party with kids.
As we head into the holiday season it reminds me of traditions. So I wanted to share these 25 Disney Movies to watch in December, which is something I always did with my children. And these 10 Fun Christmas Party Ideas for Families are geared towards families with older children, like tweens and teens.
Ingredients Needed
For the cupcakes:
- lemon juice – fresh squeezed is best
- milk – use whole or 2%
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- baking powder
- red candy melts – optional
- granulated sugar
- unsalted butter – allow time for it to come to room temperature
- eggs – take them out of the frig 10 minutes before starting
- clear vanilla – maintains the color and keeps the batter from darkening
- neon green gel food dye
Cream cheese frosting ingredients:
- cream cheese – set it out 30 minutes before using to soften it up
- unsalted butter – this needs to be room temperature as well
- clear vanilla
- salt
- powdered sugar – sift for a smoother frosting
- neon green gel food dye
- large red heart sprinkles – to represent the Grinch’s heart
How to Make Easy Grinch Cupcakes From Scratch
Place liners in the cupcake pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Stir the lemon juice and milk together and set aside.
Mix together the salt, flour, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
Add the red candy melts to a small plastic bag and crush them into pieces.
Cream the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer for 2 minutes or until fluffy.
Crack the eggs in and add the food coloring and vanilla. Stir for another minute.
Add ⅓ of the milk mixture and ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the bowl with the butter and sugar. Beat until the ingredients are incorporated. Repeat until you have used all of the milk and flour.
Fold in the crushed candy melts if using.
Fill each liner with batter, about ¾ of the way full.
Bake for 15-17 minutes or until very lightly golden brown. Allow the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack before frosting.
Making the Frosting
Beat together the cream cheese and softened butter in a bowl. Add the vanilla, salt, and food coloring.
Mix until the dye is fully incorporated. Add more until it’s the shade of green you like.
Pour in the powdered sugar a cup at a time and continue mixing.
How to Frost Cupcakes Like A Pro
Placing your decorating tip down in the piping bag. Snip the end with scissors so the tip drops through about halfway.
Place the piping bag in a tall glass and roll down the top of the piping bag over the rim of the glass. Scoop the cream cheese frosting into the piping bag using a spatula.
Fold the sides back up, and twist so that when you squeeze it frosting doesn’t come out the top.
You want to hold the bag so that you can squeeze and keep it shut at the same time.
Start frosting on the outside of the cupcake, working your way in (similar to a swirl motion) then lifting the tip up when you’ve reached the center and covered the cupcake.
Top each Grinch cupcake with a red candy heart.
Tips for making Grinch Cupcakes
- Combining milk and lemon juice makes a substitute for buttermilk on the fly. If you have buttermilk on hand you can use that instead.
- Adding the candy melts to the batter makes pretty little chocolate specks. You can leave these out if you don’t want to use them.
- Do not overmix the batter or the cupcakes will be tough.
- If the cupcake batter seems a little too thick, add a teaspoon of milk at a time to thin it out.
- Filling the liners ¾ of the way full keeps them looking neat and they’ll be level at the top because they won’t rise much.
- Don’t overfill the cupcake liners or they’ll look like muffins and they’ll be more difficult to frost.
- Make sure cupcakes have completely cooled before decorating. If they’re hot or warm the frosting will melt or slide off.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- You can make the cupcakes ahead of time, then store until you are ready to frost if you are prepping for a party. They can also be frozen and frosted when thawed.
MORE EASY
Holiday Treat Recipes
**Save Grinch Cupcake Recipe for Later**
Grinch Cupcakes
Equipment
- Star decorating tip
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 cup milk
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup red candy melts
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon clear vanilla
- Neon green gel food dye
- Large red heart sprinkles
Frosting Ingredients:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 brick, room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon clear vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- Neon green gel food dye
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place cupcake liners in the cupcake pan and set aside.
- Combine lemon juice with milk, stir and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the salt, flour, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Place the red candy melts in a small baggie. Crush them into small pieces with a rolling pin or similar item and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with a hand mixer for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is nice and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, food dye and vanilla and beat for 1 more minute to incorporate.
- Next, add about a third of the lemon-milk mixture and a third of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture. Beat until ingredients are incorporated. Repeat until all the flour and milk is gone.
- Gently fold in the crushed red candy melts.
- Fill each cupcake liner about ¾ of the way full (a scoop works well for this).
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until cupcakes are a very light golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely before decorating.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, combine the softened cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the vanilla, salt, and a bit of the food coloring. Mix until combined and the color is fully incorporated. You can add additional dye to reach your preferred shade of green.
- Add powdered sugar a cup at a time and mixing until combined after each addition.
- Place the frosting tip in a frosting bag. Cut off the tip of the frosting bag so the frosting tip can drop down into the hole and sit snugly.
- Place the frosting bag, tip side down, in a cup. Pull open end over the sides of the cup. Spoon the frosting into the frosting bag, making sure not to exceed the fill line.
- To pipe the frosting onto your cupcakes, start from the outside and work your way into the middle, using a nonstop circular motion and lifting up at the end.
- Top each cupcake with a large red heart sprinkle to the right side.
Notes
- The red candy melts add a pretty speckle to the cupcakes but you can omit them if you don’t want to use them.
- Be careful not to overmix the cupcake or you’ll have tough cupcakes.
- If the cupcake batter seems too thick, add a little more milk to thin it out a bit.
- These cupcakes don’t rise a lot but should rise just to the top of the liners, which leaves room for the frosting.
- For a neater looking cupcake, don’t overfill the cupcake liners. Overfilling results in the cupcakes spilling over the sides.
- Cook the cupcakes just until done and cool completely before decorating. Overcooking them makes them very hard – and no one likes hard cupcakes.
- Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutritional Estimate
Nutritional information is provided as a reference, using an online calculator. We recommend verifying the information independently for accuracy.
