Name: Christmas Red Velvet Snow Globe Cupcakes
Prep time: 25 h
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 h 20 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 large egg; 1 cup granulated sugar; 2/3 cup buttermilk; 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 2 tablespoons plain yogurt; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour; pinch of salt; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda; 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder; red food coloring; colorful marzipans; 1/2 cup butter (room temperature); 8oz (1 cup) cream cheese softened; 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 14 sheet gelatin; 5 tablespoons cold water; water balloons

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Shake up some Chrismtas magic this holiday season with these adorable Red Velvet Snow Globe Cupcakes! Not only are they fun to look at, but they are delicious to eat too!

three cupcakes topped with a gelatin snow globe sitting in front of a small Christmas tree.

It’s hard to imagine the holidays without little snow globes dispersed throughout the decorations. This year, why not include a few snow globes on your dessert tray too! And bonus, they are edible! You can eat the whole cupcake and snow globe topping! These will definitely be a favorite of the kids and gain you many ooohs and aaahs from the guests at your holiday parties!

How to Make Red Velvet Cupcakes with Gelatin Snow Globes

While it might seem daunting to try to make gelatin snow globes, they actually aren’t that hard to do. You just need to make sure you allow yourself plenty of time (at least 24 hours) and patience to slowly work through the process

A day before you want to serve the cupcakes, start making the snow globes. You will take gelatin sheets and water and melt it over the stove being careful not to over heat it. While the gelatin is melting, work on inflating the balloons. Then you will slowly dip the balloons into the gelatin, then allow to dry for about 10 minutes. Dip the balloons once again in the gelatin for a second layer, then allow to dry for at least 24 hours.

The day you are serving the cupcakes, prepare the red velvet cake and frosting. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Mix together the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Sift together the dry ingredients in a second bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with a spatula, being careful not to overmix. Add as much or as little of the red food coloring to the batter based on your desired shade. Divide the batter into the muffin tin. Bake for 20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool before frosting.

While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the frosting. Beat the butter, vanilla, and cream cheese until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and whisk for 3 minutes. Add your frosting to a piping bag.

Once the cupcakes are cooled, frost them. Use the marzipan to create cupcake decorations – snowman, presents, tree, etc. Decorate the cupcakes as you like.

Gently pop the balloons covered in the dried gelatin and slowly pull the balloons away from the gelatin bubbles. Top the decorated cupcakes with a gelatin snow globe.

multiple cupcakes sitting on a white wood table in front of a small Christmas tree

Tips

I used red velvet for this batch to add to the holiday look of the cupcake, but since the cupcakes are not the star of the show, you can use any flavor of cupcake and icing that you prefer. You can also use store bought and just add the snow globe!

If you are unable to find the gelatin sheets, the powdered gelatin will work. The gelatin sheets are the preference as they are easier to work with and will have a clearer color and less of a gelatin taste.

If you enjoyed these, be sure to try some of our other cupcake recipes!