Pull-Apart Santa Cake

Name: Pull-Apart Santa Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 48
Ingredients: Cooking spray; 2 (15.25-oz.) box vanilla cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box; 4 (16-oz.) cans store-bought vanilla frosting, divided; Red food gel coloring; Brown food coloring (optional); 1 Oreo, divided into wafer halves; 3 mini candy canes; 2 piping bags, a large star tip

By Anya PtacekPublished: Dec 5, 2024

Approved by the Delish Test Kitchen

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PHOTO: JULIA GARTLAND; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

Yields:

Prep Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

50 mins

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preview for Our Pull-Apart Santa Cake Will Help You Sleigh The Holidays

Holly jolly and extremely delicious, these pull-apart cupcakes are the holiday showstopper that you’ve been looking for. To make this recipe as simple as possible, I used boxed cake mix so that you can focus on the decoration. Feel free to let your creative juices flow on this recipe! Turns out these pull-apart cupcakes are just as easy to put together into one Santa cake. Bring them to your next holiday party or festive dinner, and you’re sure to impress any crowd.

These cupcakes are extremely versatile to store. Baked cupcakes can be stored undecorated in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days until you’re ready to frost and present. If you really want to get a head start, baked cupcakes can also be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months, just be sure to give them time to thaw before decorating. You can also go ahead and frost and decorate the cupcakes up to 3 days ahead of time—you’ll just need to pop that airtight container into the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve them.

Did you try this recipe? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

PHOTO: JULIA GARTLAND; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

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Ingredients

Cooking spray
2
(15.25-oz.) box vanilla cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box
4
(16-oz.) cans store-bought vanilla frosting, divided
Red food gel coloring
Brown food coloring (optional)
1
Oreo, divided into wafer halves
3
mini candy canes

Equipment Needed

2
piping bags, a large star tip

Directions

1. Step 1Grease 4 standard 12-cup muffin tins with cooking spray; line with liners. In a large bowl, prepare cupcake batter according to box instructions. Divide batter among prepared cups.
2. Step 2 Bake cupcakes according to box instructions. Let cool slightly, then refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
3. Step 3Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir 3 c. frosting and 1 to 2 drops red food coloring, adding more food coloring if needed, until desired color is reached. In another small bowl, mix 1/2 c. white frosting with 1 to 2 drops red frosting to create a pale pink color. (For other skin tones, add brown food coloring until desired shade is reached.) Transfer red icing to piping bag fitted with star tip. Transfer remaining white frosting to second piping bag.
4. Step 4Arrange a row of 3 cupcakes at the top of a platter, followed by a row of 2 cupcakes beneath, then a row of 3, a row of 4, a row of 5, two rows of 6, another row of 5, a row of 8, and a last row of 6. Arrange bottom three rows in a half-moon shape as the beard. Shift top row of 3 cupcakes to one side and angle down to make the hat flop over.
5. Step 5Using an offset spatula, spread pink or brown frosting for face in the center of fifth, sixth, and seventh rows. Using white frosting, swirl a rose onto each cupcake below the face as a beard, as well as on cupcakes on either side of the face. Fill in gaps between roses with smaller swirls. Pipe brim of hat with one long squiggle of white frosting. Pipe tip of hat with one white swirl.
6. Step 6Dollop 2 Oreo wafers with frosting and place as eyes. Pipe eyebrows and a mustache with white frosting, then spoon a small dollop of red frosting above the mustache as a nose.
7. Step 7Clean and transfer star tip to piping bag with red frosting. Swirl unfrosted cupcakes with red roses to complete hat.
8. Step 8Break curved part off of 2 candy canes. Place one straight part in between the eyes for the bridge and a curved cane sticking out of each Oreo to create the sides of Santa’s glasses.