Christmas baking is underway, and in the last 72 hours, I’ve baked 11 things. Today’s efforts included these peppermint cupcakes, based on a recipe I’ve used before, but a decoration idea I saw a few weeks back while searching for fun Christmas cupcakes.

Two-toned frosting isn’t difficult, despite how it looks. All you need are two colors, some plastic wrap, and an enormous piping bag. I piped blobs straight into my cupcakes, then pressed them into sanding sugar to flatten them out and make them look like the peppermints that inspired these treats.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

For the frosting

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon milk
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract, to taste
• Red food coloring
• Sanding sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners; my recipe made 13 cupcakes.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir together, then add water, oil, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Beat on low speed for about 2 minutes, until the batter is smooth; it will be thin.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, scoop batter into prepared cupcake tin, filling wells about 2/3 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from cupcake tin and allow to cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.

To make frosting, beat butter on low speed for about 2 minutes, until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat on low until all the sugar is incorporated into the butter; this takes a few minutes. Add milk and 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract and beat for another 1-2 minutes. Add additional peppermint extract to taste; my frosting used just under 1/4 teaspoon.

Divide frosting in half; tint one half red. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap and pipe (or just spoon) red and white frosting in alternating lines down the plastic wrap; roll it up into a log, snip off the end, and place in a large (I used an 18-inch) piping bag fitted with a large plain tip.

Pipe blobs of frosting onto each cupcake; place sanding sugar in a shallow bowl and press each cupcake into the sugar to flatten your frosting.