Naughty Or Nice? Devil's Food Coal Cakes or Candy Cane Kiss Cakes?

I hope you're having a wonderful Christmas Eve! Have you been naughty or nice this year? Well I have the perfect solution for the little devils or angels in your life... Naughty or Nice Cupcakes! Devil's Food Chocolate Coal Cakes for the naughties you know and Candy Cane Kiss Cakes for the saintly angels who are sugar sweet.

If you are looking for a last minute dessert idea for tonight or tomorrow, I have included both of my "Naughty or Nice" cupcake recipes for you. Both recipes are made with boxed cake mix for an easy and quick last minute bake-a-ton. They are so festive and cute! Look for last minute Christmas cupcake papers at your local grocery store, or just use a standard white or silver liner, as the frosting is colored red and green to make for a Christmas themed cake.

I want to let you in on a little secret I've used with boxed cake mix. I try to avoid cooking with oil at all costs and use baking substitutes as often as possible. I have found that Greek yogurt is a perfect replacement. It makes the cakes extremely moist and gives a beautiful spongy, light and fluffy cake texture. You're saving a few calories, using natural ingredients and also making for a much better cake finish out of a box. I think you'll have a hard time baking cupcakes with oil again after trying the recipe with yogurt.

Devil's Food Coal Cakes

1 Box Devils Food Cake Mix
1 cup water
1 cup plain greek yogurt
3 eggs

Christmas sprinkles or toppings of your choice

Add to basic buttercream frosting:
Green food paste or coloring
peppermint extract*

Mix cake mix, water, eggs and yogurt together in a medium bowl until well combined. Dispense into cupcake liners, filling half way. Bake according to box directions. Remove when done, cool completely before frosting.

After your Devil's Food Coal Cakes are cool and your frosting is made, do yourself a favor and make the frosting a little easier on yourself. Invert half of the piping bag inside a large glass. Now you can fill the bag with frosting without having it slip or move around on you. Make sure to tightly wrap the top of the bag to seal in the frosting and hold with one hand to secure closure while you frost. Decorate the frosting with crushed Christmas candy, sprinkles or cute paper signs as shown in my photos. Have fun, be creative and mostly, enjoy.

Candy Cane Kiss Cakes

1 box Vanilla Cake Mix
1 cup water
1 cup plain greek yogurt

3 eggs

water 

greek yogurt
1/2 cup of crushed candy cane

Christmas sprinkles or toppings of your choice
Hersheys Candy Cane Kisses for cupcake topper

Add to basic buttercream frosting:
Red food paste or coloring
peppermint extract

Mix cake mix, water, eggs and yogurt together in a medium bowl until well combined. Dispense into cupcake liners, filling half way. Bake according to box directions. Remove when done, cool completely before frosting.

After your Candy Cane Kiss Cakes are cool and your frosting is made, do yourself a favor and make the frosting a little easier on yourself. Invert half of the piping bag inside a large glass. Now you can fill the bag with frosting without having it slip or move around on you. Make sure to tightly wrap the top of the bag to seal in the frosting and hold with one hand to secure closure while you frost. Decorate the frosting with crushed Christmas candy, sprinkles or cute paper signs as shown in my photos. Have fun, be creative and mostly, enjoy.

Basic Buttercream Frosting

6 cups powdered sugar
2 sticks room temp. butter
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream

2-4 tablespoons extract flavoring of your choice*
red food paste or coloring

Mix the powdered sugar,  butter and cream in an electric mixer with the whisk attachment and splash guards in place on low, until combined; about one minute. Stop the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the coloring* flavor extract, beat mixture until fluffy; about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides again. Check for consistency, add an additional tablespoon of cream, one at a time until frosting is creamy, but firm. Taste and adjust flavoring or color as needed. 

*If you are making multiple colors of frosting, divide into separate bowls after frosting is well mixed, add color and whisk by hand until color is well combined.

This batch will frost approx. 24 cupcakes. Double recipe if you are making both recipes of cakes. 


I hope you all have a safe and very MeRrY ChRiStMaS! I would love to hear your holiday plans or family traditions in the comments below. Happy holidays and may the festivities begin!