Black Widow Candy Cane Cupcakes

Sydney

Dec 21, 20202 min read

Updated: Dec 23, 2020

Black Widow Candy Cane Cupcakes

Candy cane fans will love this peppermint cupcake inspired by Black Widow! These red & white swirled peppermint cupcakes are frosted with a peppermint buttercream, dipped in crushed candy cane, and topped with a candy cane kiss!

For an added bonus, these cupcakes are also drizzled with chocolate sauce! You can make your own chocolate ganache with some chocolate chips and heavy cream, or just use some chocolate syrup if you're in a time pinch!

Servings: 24 Cupcakes

Prep Time: 1.5 Hours

Total Time: 4 Hours

Ingredients

Candy Cane Cupcakes

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 + 3/4 cups cake flour
1 + 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 + 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 + 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
Red food coloring

Vanilla Buttercream

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 cup of crushed candy canes
Red icing color
Candy cane Hershey's Kisses
Chocolate syrup

Instructions

Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare cupcake tins with 24 liners. Set aside.
Cupcakes: In a medium bowl, mix together cake flour, all-purpose flour, and baking powder. Set aside.
Cupcakes: In a large bowl, beat unsalted butter with granulated sugar until smooth and creamy (3-5 minutes). Add 2 eggs and beat until just combined, then add remaining 2 eggs and do the same.
Cupcakes: Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Cupcakes: Add the milk, extracts, and salt, beating until just combined. Fold in the remaining flour mixture.
Cupcakes: Divide half of the cupcake batter into a different bowl. Dye with red food coloring.
Cupcakes: Fill the 24 liners about 1/2-3/4 of the way full with the cupcake batter, alternating between 1-2 tablespoons of white and then red batter. Don't overfill or the batter could spill over when baking. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Buttercream: In a large bowl, beat 1 cup of unsalted butter on high speed until smooth and creamy (2-3 minutes). Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract and 3 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream. Add 4 cups total of powdered sugar in increments.
Assembly: Fill a bowl with 1 cup of crushed candy cane. Fill a piping bag with a large round tip with about 1/2 of the buttercream.
Assembly: One cupcake at a time, pipe a swirl of white buttercream onto the top. Roll the buttercream in the bowl of candy cane, covering the sides and the top. Place the cupcakes in the freezer or fridge for 20-30 minutes to set.
Assembly: Drizzle chocolate syrup in a circular pattern over the crushed candy cane along the edges so that the syrup falls down the side of the cupcake.
Assembly: Using a small paintbrush, paint a line of red food coloring on opposite sides of an empty piping bag. Fill a piping bag prepped with a 1M tip with the remaining buttercream very carefully; you don't want the colors to smudge.
Assembly: Pipe a dollop of the red striped buttercream onto the top of each cupcake.
Assembly: Top with a Candy Cane Hershey's kiss.
Enjoy!