Santa Butt Cupcakes

A silly, sparkly and unforgettable Christmas cupcake design.

How cute (and cheeky!) are these Santa Butt Cupcakes? They’re bright, sparkly and so easy to put together, with a red sanding sugar finish and adorable little fondant boots. I actually came up with this design last year as a Christmas version of my Bunny Butt cupcakes, and it has been one of my favourite funny holiday treats ever since. These are the kind of Christmas cupcakes that everyone remembers and talks about!

The Santa Butt Cupcake Design

This design starts with a batch of my Basic Buttercream It pipes smoothly, holds its shape and is perfect for dipping into sanding sugar. Once your buttercream is made, colour it red using my “Microwave Method” Guide to help you achieve bright buttercream colours without ruining the taste.

For the base, I used my Chocolate Cupcake Recipe and to get the cute rounded shape for Santa’s bum, you can shape the cupcakes with foil balls or upside-down piping tips before baking. This gives the cupcakes a cute and unique look that works perfectly for this design.

After piping the red buttercream “butt” shape with a large round tip, simply dip the cupcake into fine red sanding sugar to create Santa’s sparkly suit. A fluffy white buttercream trim and two little fondant boots finish the look.

It’s quick, funny and guaranteed to get a reaction at any Christmas party.

Why You’ll Love These Santa Cupcakes

They’re hilarious
These Santa Butt Cupcakes always get a laugh. They’re silly, cheeky and the kind of festive treat everyone remembers.

Beginner friendly
Once the cupcakes are shaped, the design is simple to assemble with basic piping and dipping.

The colour is effortless
Using my Microwave Method for Red Buttercream means you get a deep, even red without adding a whole bottle of colour.

Perfect texture
My Basic Buttercream pipes smoothly, dips beautifully into sanding sugar and holds the shape of the design perfectly.

Great for parties and gifting
These always steal the spotlight on a Christmas dessert table and make the funniest little edible gifts.

Things I Used

Here are the tools and products that helped bring these Santa Butts to life. You can use the same items or substitute with what you already have at home:

Cupcakes:
I used my Chocolate Cupcakes for these as they are my fave. The flavour works perfectly with the vanilla buttercream, but any cupcake recipe you love will work.

Basic Buttercream:
You will need one batch of my Basic Buttercream for piping the red “butt” shape and the white trim. This buttercream holds its shape, dips well in sanding sugar and gives you a smooth finish.

Red Buttercream Colouring Method:
To get a deep, even red, I used my Microwave Method and Red gel colour. It gives perfect colour without using too much gel. I recommend making this the day before.

Piping bags:
Disposable piping bags are the easiest option. You can reuse them if you rinse between colours.

Piping tips:
Ateco 809 for piping Santa’s red cheeks.
Wilton 32 (small star tip) for the white trim and the spots where the boots sit.

Red sanding sugar:
Fine red sanding sugar gives Santa’s suit a smooth sparkly finish. Coarse sugar will not coat as evenly.

Black fondant:
Used to shape Santa’s little boots. You only need a small amount and it’s easy to mould. The colourmill decorators dough is perfect for these.

Shallow bowl and spoon:
A shallow bowl makes it easier to dip the buttercream smoothly into the sanding sugar.

Cocktail sticks:
Useful for shaping the fondant boots and adding small details if needed.

Parchment paper:
For resting piping tips, shaping tools and keeping your workspace clean.

Foil balls or piping tips for shaping:
You can push a small foil ball or an upside down piping tip against the cupcake liners before baking to help create that rounded “butt” shape.