HOW TO MAKE PULL APART CUPCAKE CAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two 12-cup standard cupcake pans with paper liners.
• Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
• Combine sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, thoroughly mixing after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.
• Mix 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined. Mix in 1/2 of the coffee and 1/2 of the sour cream until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture alternately with remaining sour cream and coffee. Do not overmix. Fill the prepared cupcake cups evenly with batter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until they spring back lightly when touched, 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool completely, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Core cooled cupcakes using a knife or cupcake corer, cutting about halfway down. Save cupcake centers for another use (such as for making a batch of cake balls).
• Prepare ganache. Add white chocolate chips and heavy cream to a large, microwave-safe bowl. Heat at 50% power until chocolate is melted and smooth, in 30-second intervals, stirring after each. Mix in crushed candies and peppermint extract until thoroughly combined. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, stirring often.
• Place ganache in a piping bag or resealable plastic bag with a corner cut off. Fill each cupcake to the top with ganache. Allow them to sit until ganache firms up and doesn't "smudge" when pressed lightly with fingertips, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Prepare frosting. Cream butter until smooth in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Beat in 1 cup powdered sugar at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt. Add heavy cream and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. If frosting is too thick, add more heavy cream--or if it is too thin, add more powdered sugar until frosting is a spreadable consistency that still holds its shape.
• Place a small amount of frosting in a separate bowl and add yellow food coloring for the ear muffs. Divide remaining frosting in half. To 1/2 of the divided frosting, add cocoa powder and red food coloring to achieve an auburn color. Divide remaining white frosting in half again. Color 1/2 peach using a very light amount of red and yellow food coloring. Color remaining frosting red. Put each into a piping bag fitted with a coupler.
• Arrange cupcakes on a large cake board or serving platter, starting from the top. Begin with 1 cupcake at the top. Follow with a row of 2 cupcakes, making sure they stay as close as possible. (If cupcakes slide around, affix a small amount of frosting to the bottom of them so they stick to the serving platter or cake board.) Follow with a row of 3 cupcakes, then a row of 5 cupcakes, a row of 4 cupcakes, another row of 5 cupcakes, and finally a last row of 4 cupcakes. Make sure the cupcakes are as close to one another as possible. If there are any large gaps, you can use large marshmallows, trimmed to fit, in order to fill them in and make a flatter, more cohesive surface to frost.
• Beginning with the top 6 cupcakes (the rows with 1 cupcake, 2 cupcakes, and 3 cupcakes in them), frost the hat portion of the cake using the red frosting and large round tip. Smooth center portion using an offset spatula, if desired. Use the peach frosting to frost the center 3 cupcakes in the row of 5 below the hat, leaving a cupcake on each side unfrosted for the ear muffs. Smooth with an offset spatula. Affix 2 dark chocolate chips upside-down for the eyes in the center of the peach frosting.
• Pipe the nose below the eyes, and then the lower lip below the nose using the peach frosting. Frost the cupcakes on each side of the face with the yellow frosting for the ear muffs. To frost the beard, use the auburn colored frosting and cover the remaining unfrosted cupcakes (that contain a row of 4, a row of 5, and final row of 4 cupcakes) with a thin layer of the auburn frosting. Smooth frosting all over the "beard-portion" of the cupcakes until mostly smooth and flat. Place a star tip on the auburn frosting piping bag, and pipe dots of frosting along the side of the face, then pipe the mustache between the nose and lip, and add some swirls on top of the beard, if desired.
• Allow cupcake cake to sit for about 30 minutes at room temperature (or place in the fridge) to allow frosting to crust. Serve.

Steps:

• If necessary, trim any domed tops off cupcakes. On large flat serving platter, create shape of your Santa. For head, form circular shape using 8 cupcakes. Place 1 in center, 4 around top, and 3 around bottom of circle. Next, create 2 lines of 4, following natural curve of circular head. To complete beard, form a line of 3 and a line of 2. Try to fit cupcakes in between rows of lines above. Use small dab of frosting to “glue” each cupcake to platter (this will make it easier to frost). Top each cupcake with generous 1 Tbsp frosting and spread evenly, adding extra frosting to fill in gaps between cupcakes if necessary. Refrigerate until no longer tacky to the touch, at least 20 minutes. Use toothpick to score design, placing eyes, nose, hat, and mustache. Fit large piping bag with star piping tip. Fill bag with 2 to 3 cups buttercream (if your bag is only 12 inches, you will need to refill bag halfway). Tint ¾ cup of remaining frosting light pink and ½ cup red. Transfer each of these colors to small piping bags. For red and pink, cut ¼ inch to ½ inch off 1 corner. Pipe pink into space outlined for face, then smooth evenly with small offset spatula (for a smooth top and sides, after cake has been completely frosted, run offset spatula under hot water 10 seconds, dry completely, then use to smooth). Repeat with red frosting in spaces for hat and shoulders. Refrigerate until no longer tacky to the touch, at least 20 minutes. Use white buttercream to create trim for hat (top with coconut if desired). Next, pipe beard: Pipe swirl shapes for beard, then fill in any gaps in between with small stars. Refrigerate until no longer tacky, at least 20 minutes. Pipe mustache by making 3 wiggly lines on either side. For additional height, add second layer directly on top. Using remaining red, pipe folded tip of hat and smooth lines with spatula to mimic fabric. Use white buttercream to pipe 1½-inch-high round. Freeze 5 minutes, then roll in coconut to make pom-pom; attach with dab of frosting.  To complete face, make pink frosting nose. Use dab of frosting to attach Necco Wafer below mustache and M&M’s for eyes. Refrigerate until no longer tacky, at least 20 minutes. Use red to pipe outline on hat and shoulders. Serve at room temp.