Frosting the Snowman

White Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Making and eating these cupcakes will make everyone a jolly, happy soul!  An enchanting family project, this is perfect for children of all ages.  You will be creating Frosting the Snowman and his entire snow family!  The rich and creamy white chocolate cupcake and buttercream will melt, like snow, in your mouth.  Add a dusting of white glitter sugar and they become a simply magical dessert.

This snow family starts with a white cake mix. Delicious add-ins, like melted white chocolate, make it absolutely homemade.  Don't fret about the box, you are just eliminating the need to add flour, sugar and a leavening agent. The Goddess says, keep the home baked look and taste, but save a few steps and make things a bit easier on yourself.   

Decorations for the Snow Family

Black dragees for eyes and buttons

Black Gel tube for smiles

Marzipan and some red and yellow or orange food coloring for carrot noses. If you do not want to knead marzipan for noses, you could use orange gel (but the 3-D effect of the marzipan noses is so fun...)

Milk chocolate melting wafers and chocolate Rolos for Mr. Frosting's hat

Red gumdrops and small red sugar sprinkles for Mrs. Frosting's hat

Red sugar bows from the craft or baking supply store for Mrs. Frosting's couture

Chocolate morsels for Baby Frosting's hat

White large crystal decorative sugar

White sugar snowflakes for decorating the serving plate

Baking Supplies

White cupcake papers

Round ice cream scoop

Round medium sized scoop (larger than a melon ball scoop - available at Williams Sonoma)

Melon Ball size scoop for Baby Frosting

Cupcake Ingredients

3 ounces Ghiradelli White Chocolate (produces the smoothest results)

1 box White Cake Mix

1 box Instant Vanilla Pudding

3/4 cup Corn Oil

3/4 cup Whole Milk

4 Large Eggs (lightly whisked)

2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Frosting Ingredients

6 ounces Ghirardelli White Chocolate

2 pounds 4 ounces Unsalted Butter

3 pounds (3 boxes) Powdered Sugar

1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

(makes 18 cupcakes)

Baking Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt 3 ounces of chopped white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl on very low power, stirring at 30 second intervals until it is smooth.  Do not overheat! 

Set aside to cool.

Place 18 cupcake papers in muffin tins.

Combine cake mix, pudding, melted white chocolate, oil, milk and eggs in a mixer on low speed. 

Beat for 2 minutes.

Fill cupcake papers 3/4 full.

Bake for 18 - 21 minutes until toothpick comes out clean, do not over bake.

Let cool for 5- 10 minutes.

Gently loosen cupcakes from tin with a fine knife so that they comes out intact.  You want a wide top to frost as a platform for the snow people. 

Place on rack and let cool fully before frosting.

Frosting Instructions

Let butter come to room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes. You want the butter soft, but not too mushy.

Melt chopped white chocolate in microwave safe bowl on low power, stirring every 30 seconds. Set aside to cool.

Cream butter.

Add white chocolate and vanilla and fully incorporate.

Add powdered sugar and beat together.

Add cream, but remember, you want the icing somewhat stiff in order to scoop balls. The stiffness will be effected of the temperature of your butter, so add cream slowly.

Frosting the Snow People

If you are making marzipan carrot noses, mix a few ounces of marzipan with either a combination of red and yellow food coloring or pure orange.  You need very little of each.  Add a drop at a time.  Work with a utensil or thin rubber gloves to keep your hands from turning orange.

Spread a layer of icing smoothly over the entire surface of the cupcake.

Scoop and stack frosting balls, ice cream scoop first and then medium sized ball on top. Do this for 12 cupcakes, for Mr. and Mrs. Frosting cupcakes.

Scoop and stack frosting balls, medium sized scoop then melon ball sized scoop on top, on 6 cupcakes for Baby Frosting cupcakes.

For the Mr. Frosting cupcakes, cap 6 cupcakes with a chocolate melting wafer flat-side up. Add a dot of icing and place Rolo candy on top for top hats.

Add red gumdrop and red ball sprinkles to make hats for the Mrs. Frosting cupcakes. 

Give her a red bow decoration. 

Give the 6 Baby Frosting cupcakes a chocolate morsel for a hat.

Give all the snow people black dragees for buttons and eyes.

Give all the snow people black gel dotted smiles.

Give all the snow people carrot noses.

Dust with glitter sugar. 

Decorate plate with glitter sugar and sugar snowflakes before serving.