Celebrate National Cupcake Day with Rudolph’s Red-Nose Velvet Cakes

Did you know that Thursday, December 15, 2022 is National Cupcake Day? Who doesn’t like the fresh baked goodness of a Christmas-time cupcake? Well, we’ve got a perfect recipe to spice up your next holiday party, or just share with the family. Check out Saline River Chronicle’s Rudolph’s Red-Nose Velvet Cakes. You can make them from scratch, but we tend to just roll down to one of Warren’s local grocers and grab a good-ole cake mix right off the shelf. They taste just as yummy!

Rudolph’s Red Nose Velvet Cakes

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake:

• 1 box devil’s food cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 C. oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 C. milk or buttermilk
• 1/2 C. sour cream

Chocolate Frosting:

• 1 C. butter
• 1/3 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2-3 C. powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp. milk

Pretzles, for antlers

Nilla Wafers, for muzzles

Brown M&M’s for noses (some red for Rudolph) Feel free to make Santa’s entire Reindeer Team

White Mint M&M’s for eyes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners.
2. Sift cake mix into a small bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, vanilla extract, milk and sour cream until smooth.
4. Stir in cake mix.
5. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 16-20 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
6. Let cool.
7. Chocolate frosting: Beat butter. Add cocoa powder, 2 C. powdered sugar and milk. Slowly add more powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.
8. Prep reindeer “faces” by using frosting to stick brown M&M’s on Nilla Wafers (some red for Rudolphs if you want). Melt down a few chocolate chips, put in a small plastic bag, snip off the tip to make a mini piping bag and “dot” little eyeballs on the white M&M’s to make eyes.
9. Frost cupcakes.
10. Place Nilla wafers with M&M’s on cupcakes, then place pretzels above. Use a little frosting to stick on 2 eyes and there you go!