Chocolate Gnome Cupcakes
Fluffy, rich chocolate cake decorated with a simple buttercream in the shape of a gnome. This highly customizable cupcake is an adorable addition to your holidays!
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Why this recipe works
First, the chocolate cake. It’s just SO good. Fluffy yet moist, rich but not overly so, and the perfect amount of sweet. It’s my absolute favorite chocolate cake. It’s that white whale of cakes: fluffy and moist yet sturdy and reliable. It’s great for stacking nice and tall.
Next, the buttercream. I used a simple vanilla American buttercream, which I always love with my chocolate cake. It’s easy to make and easy to dye. However, you can use nearly any flavor here, such as peppermint, white chocolate (or peppermint white chocolate!), marshmallow, or even a spiced buttercream.
The key to piping it like a gnome is simply having the right piping tips. I used a 1M piping tip to pipe the gnome hat in a cone of swirls. I then used an 18 star tip for the gnome beard, although there are several tips close to 18 that would work, too. Finally, I used some caramel baking bits (which are circular and conveniently skin-colored) to make the nose. That’s it! gnomes don’t need to be overly complicated, so I kept it simple.
Key ingredients
Flour. Be sure to spoon then level your flour so you don’t pack it in, and always sift with a fine mesh sieve!
Cocoa powder. Sifting this is a must, as it tends to clump. Be sure you use unsweetened cocoa. Regular is preferred, but Dutched will work as well.
Sugar. Obviously! You’ll need this in the cake as well as the caramel sauce.
Baking powder/soda. Both are needed to help the cake rise properly. Be sure they haven’t been open longer than a few months or they do start to lose their umph, regardless of the indicated expiration date. And be sure they’ve been well-sealed! Any moisture getting in will stop them from working properly.
Salt. Again, needed in all elements of this cake. I highly recommend sea salt, as it helps complement the sweetness better.
Buttermilk. I always make my own by adding 1 tablespoon white vinegar to a 1 cup measuring cup. I then fill it the rest of the way with room-temperature whole milk.
Oil. I prefer avocado or grape seed oil, as they are light and tasteless but still heart-healthy. Vegetable or canola oil work, too.
Eggs. Use fresh, large eggs and make sure they have reached room temperature.
Vanilla. Always use pure extract in baking, not imitation.
Hot coffee. Be sure your coffee is piping hot when you use it. You can make it as strong or light as you’d like. I prefer blond coffee in most cakes, but you really can’t taste it if you use a dark roast. It just serves to bring out a more intensely dark chocolate flavor.
American buttercream. I chose a simple vanilla, but you can use any flavor that’s also mostly white here, such as peppermint, white chocolate (or peppermint white chocolate!), marshmallow, or even a spiced buttercream.
Red food dye. You can make the gnome hats any color you’d like. I just felt red was classic and simple and went with that.
Piping tips and caramel bits. For these cupcakes, you’ll need Wilton 1M and 18 star piping tips, as well as caramel baking bits for the noses.
How to make chocolate gnome cupcakes
Make the frosting ahead of time
1. Make the frostings. You’ll make one double batch of frosting. 2/3 of it will be dyed vibrant red and the rest will be left white. Refrigerate the frostings (in bowls or in the piping bags) to help the red color deepen. If you want a pure white beard, you can beat a teeny tiny dot of violet food coloring into it to help counter the yellow of the butter.
Make the cake
2. Sift and whisk dry ingredients. Don’t skip the sifting! It’s key to making this cake nice and fluffy.
3. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Whisk very well to fully emulsify (blend) it all, especially the eggs and oil.
4. Slowly whisk hot coffee into wet ingredients. Whisk very quickly and pour slowly to avoid scrambling the eggs. If you do think you scrambled some, you can run it through your fine mesh sieve.
5. Slowly stir wet ingredients into the dry. Do this on low and immediately stop and scrape the bowl once everything is combined.
6. Beat on medium for exactly 2 minutes. Set a timer so you don’t under or over mix.
7. Bake. Bake until a toothpick or cake tester comes out with just some moist crumbs—not fully clean, as this can mean it’s over baked. Remember that it continues to bake a little when you take it out of the oven.
Decorate
8. Pipe the gnome hats. I made a simple cone shaped hat, but you can get creative and even use an upturned ice cream cone to help outline a large hat if desired.
9. Pipe the gnome beards.This is actually easy! Just make a line of 4-5 white stars along the edge of the cupcake. Then, in the indents between each star, both above and below, pipe a 3-4 stars, making your first 3 lines (essentially the mustache and the beginning of the beard). Below, continue to make shorter lines (2-3 stars then 1-2 then 1 more, if needed) to create a pointed beard along the edge of the cupcake liner.
10. Attach the caramel gnome noses. This was simple—just pop a caramel baking bit on in the middle of the “nose region” of the beard.
Enjoy
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
How to make the frosting dark red
This is a tricky one, since too much red will taste funny. Plus, in California, certain types of red food dye will no longer be available, so…sad day. I always suggest gel food coloring, as it requires less to make a vibrant color. I also recommend making the frosting ahead of time and refrigerating it for a few days (you’ll need to let it come to room temperature before using, and give it a gentle stir before placing in your piping bag). The color will deepen in the fridge, making it a stronger red. Another option is to make a different colored hat, but red is pretty classically “gnome-esque.” No matter what color you choose, be sure to use gel dye and use that refrigerator to deepen your color!
Likewise, to make the beard pure white, you can add a teeny tiny dot of violet food coloring to that portion, to help counter the yellow of the butter. As well, be sure to beat it for at least 5 minutes, as whipping the air into it helps it turn a purer white.
How to pipe the hat and beard
The hat is just a matter of practice. Feel free to practice on a plate, where you can scoop that hard-earned red frosting back into the piping bag afterward. I find it easiest to start at the outside, piping a swirl into the middle (in one single layer). Once you get to the middle, just continue piping up onto the second layer, this time working your way outward (but not all the way to the edge). For these, I did one small third layer that tapered into the pointy hat top.
For the beard, again practice piping simple dots with your star tip. I found it helpful to kneel so I was eye-level with the side of the cupcake to pipe my dots. It really is just a series of dots, so feel free to practice the entire beard on a plate before doing the real thing.
Do I have to use coffee in the cake?
Probably. You could technically use just hot water, but I have never been a fan of how this cake tastes without coffee. Trust me, you will not taste the coffee if you use light roast. If you’re worried, you can make it half strength, which should be enough to bring out the chocolate flavor.
Measure dry ingredients carefully
Always spoon flour and cocoa into your measuring cup then level with the back of a knife or other straight edge. And be sure to sift with a fine mesh sieve so your cake is nice and fluffy.
Sift your dry ingredients
Sifting dry ingredients is KEY in baking, especially for baking cakes and extra important with chocolate cakes. You always want to ensure the cocoa is sifted because it can create little pockets of cocoa that never get mixed in and thus don’t bake. The one time I made this cake without sifting the dry ingredients, it turned out dense and chewy and just not good. So trust me—sift!
Use room temperature ingredients
This is another baking must. Room temperature ingredients (when called for) are non-negotiable. I have seen the difference in cakes that are tough and don’t rise. Plan ahead and make sure your ingredients have had time to sit out.
Use quality cocoa
Since cocoa is the main flavor here, you want a good brand. Opt for something organic and fair trade, if possible, because this usually means it was produced in smaller batches and thus higher quality and is often fresher, too. Plus, the flavor of the high quality cocoa is always noticeable in the brownies. My go-to is Volupta, from Costco, but some other good options are Ghirardelli, Guittard, Scharffen Berger, Anthony’s, or even Hershey’s Special Dark in a pinch.
My tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making these cupcakes. Affiliate links provided.
Mesh sieve (because sifting is KEY for a fluffy cake)
All-rubber spatula (this makes scraping the bowl easier so the batter and frosting doesn’t get all over a wooden handle!)
Cupcake pans (I’ve used many over the years and these are the most consistently successful.)
Wilton 1M and 18 star piping tips
Caramel baking bits (for the nose)
Chocolate Gnome Cupcakes
- prep time: 40-45 minutes
- bake time: 25-30 minutes
- total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes (plus at least 1 day for the red frosting to refrigerate)
servings: 24
Ingredients:
for the cake
- 1 ⅔ cups (333g) granulated sugar
- 1 ⅔ cups (227g) flour, sifted
- ¾ cup (75g) unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder, sifted
- 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon (5g) baking soda, sifted
- ½ teaspoon (3g) fine ground Himalayan sea salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt, but sea salt gives a better flavor)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (240g) buttermilk*, room temperature
- ½ cup (120g) avocado or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240g) very hot coffee (light or dark roast is fine)
to decorate
- double batch vanilla buttercream (or your favorite flavor of white buttercream)
- red gel food dye
- 1M and #18 (or small star) piping tips
- piping bags
- caramel baking bits (or other nose-shaped edible item)
Instructions:
- Make your buttercream at least one day ahead of time. Take about ⅔ of it and place in a separate bowl. Add red food dye to this portion, mixing until desired color is achieved. The white can be left as-is or you can beat in a teeny tiny dot of violet food coloring and beat it for 5-7 minutes on high to get a more pure-white color.
- Refrigerate both frosting colors until ready to make the cupcakes. At that point, remove each bowl of frosting from the fridge and let come to room temperature on the counter. Stir gently to make it spreadable. Place the red in a piping bag with the 1M piping tip and the white in a piping bag with the #18 (or small star) piping tip).
- Next, make the cake. Preheat your oven to 325. Line two regular cupcake pans with cupcake liners (you can use any color–foil liners are a great option, as the chocolate cake will not show through).This is also a great time to set your coffee to percolate (unless using hot water or espresso and hot water, which is what I do).
- In the bowl of stand mixer (or large bowl), use a large fine mesh sieve to sift and whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, being sure to sift as instructed. I prefer using a hand whisk for this step as the whisk attachment doesn't always get the very bottom mixed in. Fit this to your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. You can also use a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer. * I also like to make my coffee at this time so it’s fresh and hot.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.
- VERY slowly, pour coffee mixture into the egg mixture, whisking the eggs quickly and constantly to avoid scrambling them. Feel free to do it in increments if this is your first time.
- Turn mixer to low. Slowly pour wet ingredients into dry. It will clump up halfway through then settle into a liquid-y consistency. Immediately turn off mixer once all ingredients are combined then scrape down sides with a rubber spatula, making sure to get to the very bottom. Beat on medium for exactly 2 minutes. Do not overmix!
- Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Gently tap pans on the counter a couple times to get some of the bubbles out.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes if using three pans or 15-18 minutes if using four pans, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with some moist crumbs but no raw batter. Always check cakes a little early, as oven time can vary. If not using a convection oven, rotate cakes halfway through.
- Cool in pans 5-10 minutes then remove to a cooling rack until completely cooled.
- Once the cupcakes are cooled, you can decorate. Use the red to pipe a tall cone hat. I like starting at the outside, piping in a swirl into the middle, then working my way back toward the edge (but not all the way to the edge) for the second layer then back toward the center for the final pointy top layer.
- To make the beard, pipe a row of 4-5 small star dots along the edge of the cupcake, where the cake meets the hat. On top and below, pipe a row with one less dot than your starting line. Then, below (what will now be your third row), continue piping rows with one less dot until you reach a point.
- Place one caramel baking bit in the middle of the beard for the nose.
Enjoy!
If not serving right away, store in an airtight container until ready to eat. Cupcakes will last for 3-5 days. Avoid refrigeration for more than an hour, as this can cause them to dry out.
*You can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to a 1 cup measuring cup then filling the rest of the way with room temperature whole milk. Stir and let sit 5-10 minutes.