Make your Christmas season less stressful with these easy Christmas cupcake ideas. These shortcuts are fast, easy, and frugal.

Your son comes home from school and tells you he volunteered to bring two batches of cupcakes to tomorrow’s Christmas party. Say what?! You are already stressed and overwhelmed with the holiday gift buying, wrapping, and baking. What should you do?

Sure, you could purchase store-bought cupcakes, but that feels like cheating. Here’s your solution. Use our fast and budget-friendly cupcake ideas for how to make amazing decorated baked goods in record time, with no creative skills required.

These cupcakes may look complicated, but most are very simple to create and are fun for kids to help make.

3 Holiday Cupcake Shortcuts to Save Time & Money

1. Buy Store-Made Cupcakes

One of the easiest shortcuts is to buy plain cupcakes from the grocery store or discount club bakery.

I know that homemade cupcakes are probably a little tastier, but isn’t it the frosting that people care the most about?

The holiday season is the busiest season of the year. Save time and buy the plain cupcakes. They aren’t very costly if they are unfrosted so this is a budget-friendly option, too.

If the store doesn’t have any plain cupcakes available, you can also buy cupcakes with a simple frosting and scrape it off to create a home-decorated version.

2. Use Frosting Hacks to Make Decorative Icing Quickly

When it comes to cupcakes, it’s all about the frosting. First, here is a run-down of the most popular types of frosting, along with our hacks for how to make a quicker version that will wow your guests.

Which Frosting is Best for Cupcakes?

There are some basic frostings that are commonly used for cupcakes.

• Buttercream frosting is one of the most common cake frostings. Most varieties start with a base of butter and sugar.
• Ganache is decadent. It starts out in a liquid state and is like a glaze, but will firm up as it sits. 
• Fondant is typically used for cake decorating, but I am seeing more and more fancy cupcakes made with fondant. It works great for making shapes to put on top of the cupcakes.
• Marizpan frosting brings a definite elegance to any cake or cupcake. 
• Royal Icing works well for creating designs on cupcakes and it dries hard. Royal icing is typically used in cookie decorating.
• Whipped Cream Frosting is a favorite of many of my family members. It is fluffy and delicious.

EASY Frosting Hacks Anyone Can Do (Even if You Can’t Cook!)

Here are some simple ideas that will make your cupcakes look stunning.

1. Purchase a can of store-bought frosting and heat it in the microwave until it is soft and liquidy. Stir well. Pour over cupcakes for a smooth top finish. Allow to cool at room temperature or in the refridgerator to make more quickly.
2. Top cupcakes with whipped topping that comes frozen (such as Cool Whip, thawed), plain and covered in sprinkles, or mix in Jell-O powder to provide color and flavor.
3. Top cupcakes with 1 minute microwave ganache that only requires chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream.
4. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar to a can of store-bought frosting in order to pipe canned frosting from a piping bag.
5. Purchase white frosting and use food coloring to color it red and green, or gently swirl the colors together.

3. Easy Christmas Cupcake Embellishments

There are so many easy ways to decorate a Christmas cupcake, even if you are not a skilled baker. 

Cupcake embellishments are available in almost all craft stores and you can find lots of options online, too. Frost a cupcake with white, light blue, red or green frosting, add adorable decorations to the top, and you have a great Christmas dessert.

Here are some really fun ideas:

• Cupcake picks are simple to stick into the top of a frosted cupcake and come in every style imaginable.
• Edible glitter can transform any boring cupcake into something beautiful. Think red, green, silver, or gold.
• Royal icing edible holly berries are a simple way to decorate a cupcake.
• I love these vintage red truck cupcake picks for a rustic look.
• Dust the top of your creation with a bit of powdered sugar to look like snow.
• Add fun holiday candies like M&Ms, red and green marshmallows, or other Christmas candies.
• Use store-bought small Christmas cookies to top your cupcakes. Gingerbread men are adorable for this.

4. Display Holiday Cupcakes in Fun Ways for Kids & Adults

Once you have made your sweet cupcakes, display them and show them off. The holidays are all about the pretty package, so it’s important to put your mini-cakes on display with style.

A traditional cupcake stand is a simple yet elegant way to show off cupcakes. The tiers make it easy for people to grab a cupcake without touching the others, and guests will automatically be impressed when they walk into any room that has a tower of baked creations.

There are other fun ways to display your creations. Check these out:

• A whitewashed wood stair shelf would look so cute with Christmas cupcakes. 
• A 3-tier rectangular serving platter can be used year-round for so many different foods. 
• This honeycomb cupcake stand is unique and adorable.
• A mini step-ladder can be an adorable display.
• A holiday gift basket filled with cupcakes is great to take to a party, church, work event. Line with a Christmas-checked cloth, fabric, or tissue paper.

5. Set up a Decorate Your Own Cupcake Station

Everyone will think you planned cupcakes as a fun classroom or party event with a Decorate Your Own Cupcake bar.

Here are items to include:

• plain cupcakes
• cans of frosting
• sprinkles in holiday colors
• Christmas candies
• paper plates, napkins, and plastic knives for spreading frosting

Check out our Hot Chocolate Bar Ideas (with free printable) for even more party fun.

Which of these hacks will you try to make easy Christmas cupcakes? Share in the comments below.