Name: Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Crushed Cakes Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 16 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3/4 cup butter, room temperature; 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar; 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 3 teaspoons vanilla extract; 4 large eggs; 1 1/4 cups whole milk; 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup butter, room temperature; 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3 cups powdered sugar; 10 Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes; 2 tablespoons milk; Red gel food coloring, as needed; Green sanding sugar, for decoration

There's just something magical about festive desserts that bring a little extra sparkle to the holiday table. I absolutely adore sharing this Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Crushed Cakes Recipe because it's not only delicious but also a fun twist that your family and friends will rave about. The combination of moist cupcakes with crushed Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes mixed into the frosting? Pure holiday bliss.

A light yellow cupcake sits in a white paper liner on a white marbled surface covered with a white cloth that has red, green, and silver dots. The cupcake has one thick layer of smooth, pale cream-colored frosting piped in soft, high swirls on top. Thin red syrup lines are drizzled vertically over the frosting, and small green sugar sprinkles are scattered across the top. Other similar cupcakes are softly visible in the background. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 2:3 --v 7

Jump to:

Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients & Why They Work
Make It Your Way
Step-by-Step: How I Make Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Crushed Cakes Recipe
Top Tip
How to Serve Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Crushed Cakes Recipe
Make Ahead and Storage
Frequently Asked Questions:
Final Thoughts
Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Crushed Cakes Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe

I still remember the first time I made these Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Crushed Cakes Recipe — it was a hit at a holiday party, not just because they look adorable but because each bite had this delightful surprise of texture and flavor. Trust me, once you try them, you’ll find it hard to stop at just one.

Unique Frosting: Incorporating crushed Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes into the frosting adds extra flavor and a smooth, creamy texture that’s unlike your typical buttercream.
Festive Presentation: The piped frosting mimics the look of a Christmas tree, making it a perfect holiday centerpiece that’s almost too cute to eat — almost!
Moist & Tender Cupcakes: The combination of butter, oil, and milk keeps these cupcakes exceptionally moist, even after a day or two.
Easy to Personalize: Whether you want to adjust colors or add sprinkles, you can easily tailor these cupcakes to fit your festive vibe or dietary needs.

The image shows a close-up of a yellow vanilla cupcake with soft and fluffy texture at the bottom layer. On top, there is a large swirl of light pink creamy frosting with a smooth and airy texture. The frosting is decorated with thin drizzles of bright red syrup and small green specks sprinkled lightly over it. The cupcake is placed in a white paper liner on a silver serving tray with more similar cupcakes blurred in the background, all sitting on a white marbled surface. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 2:3 --v 7

Ingredients & Why They Work

This recipe uses classic ingredients with a few special touches that make all the difference. Here’s why I love each one and a tip or two to keep your cupcakes perfect every time.

Flat lay of a small mound of pale yellow room-temperature butter, two heaping white ceramic bowls—one filled with fine white granulated sugar, the other with light beige all-purpose flour, four large brown eggs with clean shells arranged symmetrically, a small white bowl of creamy whole milk, a small white bowl with clear vegetable oil, a small white bowl containing smooth cream cheese, a small white bowl of powdered sugar piled high, a neat stack of ten fresh Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes without packaging, a small white bowl filled with bright green sanding sugar, and a small white bowl holding vivid red gel food coloring, all ingredients fresh and natural, perfectly balanced and symmetrical, placed on a clean white marble surface, soft natural light, photo taken with an iPhone, professional food photography style, fresh ingredients, white ceramic bowls, no bottles, no duplicates, no utensils, no packaging --ar 2:3 --v 7 --p m7354615311229779997

Butter: Using room temperature butter is key for creaming with sugar perfectly, which helps create a light, tender crumb.
Granulated Sugar: It sweetens and balances moisture, giving those cupcakes just the right sweetness.
Vegetable Oil: Adds extra moisture and ensures the cupcakes stay soft, even days after baking.
Eggs: They provide structure and richness, so be sure they’re large and room temperature if possible.
Whole Milk: Adds moisture and richness; it helps the batter blend smoothly.
All-purpose Flour: The base of the cupcake — measuring properly is a must for tender cupcakes.
Baking Powder: Gives the cupcakes that lovely rise and fluffiness.
Salt: Enhances all the flavors without making the cupcakes salty, just the right balance.
Cream Cheese: For the frosting, cream cheese adds tang and creaminess, pairing wonderfully with the cake crumbs.
Powdered Sugar: Helps the frosting sweeten smoothly without graininess.
Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes: The magic ingredient crushed into the frosting to infuse holiday flavor and texture!
Green Sanding Sugar: For that festive sparkle that makes these cupcakes look like Christmas trees.
Red Food Coloring & Milk: Used to create the red drizzle on top mimicking twinkling holiday lights.

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Note: You'll find the complete list of ingredients, along with their exact measurements, in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Make It Your Way

This recipe is already a classic, but I love mixing things up by customizing each batch. You can change colors, add different sprinkles, or even substitute for a dairy-free frosting option if you like.

Variation: Once, I swapped the green sanding sugar for edible gold dust and it instantly gave these cupcakes a luxurious holiday glow—perfect for a more elegant celebration.
Dietary Swap: You can use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil and vegan cream cheese to make these cupcakes dairy-free, just keep an eye on consistency as it might shift slightly.
Flavor Twist: Adding a teaspoon of almond extract to the frosting adds a lovely nutty undertone that pairs beautifully with the Christmas Tree Cakes.

Step-by-Step: How I Make Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Crushed Cakes Recipe

Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugar Until Fluffy

Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and lining your cupcake pans with paper liners. In your stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream together the room temperature butter and granulated sugar on medium speed. This should take about 2 to 3 minutes until you get a smooth, pale, and fluffy mixture. This step is essential to get that light texture in your cupcakes.

Step 2: Mix in Eggs, Oil, and Vanilla

Next, add the eggs one at a time, then the vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly to ensure everything blends into a silky-smooth batter. Don’t rush this—fully combining the wet ingredients helps your cupcakes bake evenly and taste rich.

Step 3: Add Milk and Dry Ingredients

Pour in the whole milk and mix just until combined — it’s normal if the batter looks a bit curdled here. Then, gradually add your flour, baking powder, and salt while mixing on low. Once most of the flour is incorporated, turn to medium speed for a final blend. The batter should be smooth without overmixing, or you might get tougher cupcakes.

Step 4: Bake Until Lightly Golden

Fill each cupcake liner about halfway to two-thirds full with batter. Pop them in the oven and bake for 14 to 16 minutes. You'll know they’re done when the edges turn just lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool completely before frosting.

Step 5: Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat together the butter, cream cheese, and salt until completely smooth. Then add vanilla and powdered sugar on low speed to avoid a sugar cloud! Set this base frosting aside as you prepare the crushed cakes.

Step 6: Crush the Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes

Use a food processor to pulse the Christmas Tree Cakes until finely crumbled — keep pulsing until it reaches a creamy consistency. If you don’t have a food processor, a hand mixer works in a pinch, but the frosting won’t be perfectly smooth.

Step 7: Combine Crushed Cakes with Frosting

Add the crushed cakes to the frosting and beat on medium to mix fully. This gives your frosting a lovely texture and festive flavor that’s hard to beat!

Step 8: Add the Red Drizzle and Pipe the Trees

Take about half a cup of frosting and mix in milk and red gel food coloring to make the drizzle. Scoop the rest into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (or round tip if the frosting is chunky). Pipe tall, leafy swirls on each cupcake, then gently drizzle the red frosting to mimic tree lights. Finish with a sprinkle of green sanding sugar for that holiday sparkle.

Top Tip

I’ve made this recipe multiple times and learned a few tricks to get it just right and stress-free, so here are my top tips to help you nail it the first time!

Proper Butter Temperature: Make sure your butter is truly room temperature—too cold and it won’t cream well, too warm and it gets greasy. This step makes a huge difference for texture.
Don’t Overmix Batter: When you add the dry ingredients, mix only until combined to keep cupcakes tender instead of dense.
Frosting Consistency: If the crushed cakes make the frosting a bit thick, add a teaspoon of milk at a time to get a perfect swirlable texture.
Piping Patience: Use a sturdy piping bag and don’t rush the swirl — a steady hand makes your cupcakes look professionally festive.

How to Serve Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Crushed Cakes Recipe

Christmas Tree Cupcakes - Serving Suggestion

Garnishes

I love using green sanding sugar for that sparkling tree effect, but you can also add mini edible pearls or silver dragees to mimic ornaments. Sometimes, I toss on tiny edible star sprinkles for the "tree topper" touch—it immediately brightens the presentation!

Side Dishes

These cupcakes pair beautifully with a simple cup of hot cocoa or a festive punch. They also complement a holiday cheese board or a warm batch of gingerbread cookies if you’re hosting a cookie swap or dessert bar.

Creative Ways to Present

Try arranging the cupcakes in a triangle shape on your platter to mimic a giant Christmas tree. You can also place small peppermint sticks as “trunks” underneath the cupcakes or serve them inside mini ornament boxes for a creative gift idea.

Make Ahead and Storage

Storing Leftovers

Because of the cream cheese frosting, I always store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge. They keep wonderfully for up to 5 to 7 days without drying out — just make sure they’re room temperature before serving so the frosting softens nicely.

Freezing

If you want to freeze them, I recommend freezing the cupcakes un-frosted. Wrap the cooled cupcakes tightly in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag. When you’re ready, thaw overnight in the fridge and frost fresh. I’ve tried freezing after frosting, but the texture of the cream cheese frosting changes, becoming less creamy.

Reheating

Reheating cupcakes isn’t usually necessary, but if you like them slightly warm, I pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds (without frosting). Then add frosting after warming for the best texture and flavor experience.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I use other Little Debbie cakes instead of the Christmas Tree Cakes?

Definitely! I’ve substituted chocolate or vanilla cakes to mix things up, just keep in mind the flavor will change slightly depending on the cake you use, but it’s still delicious and keeps the texture in the frosting.

What if I don’t have a food processor to crush the Christmas Tree Cakes?

You can use a hand mixer in a bowl to break down the cakes. It might not get as smooth and creamy as a food processor, but it works well enough to fold into the frosting. Just be patient and pulse in short bursts.

Can I make these cupcakes ahead for a party?

Absolutely, I recommend baking the cupcakes one day ahead, keeping them in an airtight container, and frosting the next day. That way, the cupcakes stay fresh and you reduce your holiday day prep.

Why does the batter look curdled after adding milk?

That’s totally normal! The milk can cause the batter to look a bit curdled or separated, but don’t worry — once you add the dry ingredients and mix gently, the batter comes back together and your cupcakes will be perfect.

Final Thoughts

Honestly, this Christmas Tree Cupcakes with Crushed Cakes Recipe has become my go-to when I want something both festive and comforting. The layers of flavor and texture always bring smiles around the table. If you want a crowd-pleaser that feels like a cozy holiday hug in cupcake form, give this recipe a try — I can't wait to hear how much you and your loved ones enjoy it!