Festive baking doesn’t need to be complicated (especially when you have the right colors on hand). These magical gnome cupcakes are decorated entirely with the Chefmaster Holiday Liquid Gel Kit, giving you rich reds, snowy whites, wintry greens, and icy blues without the hassle of mixing multiple products.

Each gnome comes to life through simple piping techniques, only 3 piping tips, and easy fondant or decorative work with sprinkles. Whether you’re preparing for a holiday market, a Christmas party, or a cozy baking day at home, these cupcakes are guaranteed to be the sweetest showstoppers of the season!

Yield: one dozen cupcake

Ingredients:

Red Velvet Cupcakes:

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter Room Temperature

2 Large Eggs

1 Egg Yolk

1 ¾ Cup Granulated Sugar

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 ½ Tbsp Cocoa Powder

1 Cup Buttermilk

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

½ tsp Baking Powder

2 ¾ Cup All-Purpose Flour

¼ Cup Vegetable Oil

3 Tbsp Sour Cream

1 Tbsp White Vinegar

1-2 Tbsp Chefmaster Super Red Food Coloring

American Buttercream

5 cups Powdered Sugar

3 cups (6 sticks) Unsalted Butter, room temperature)

2 Tbsp Hot Water, Milk or Cream

1 Tbsp Clear Vanilla

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Lemon Juice

Decorations

Chefmaster Holiday liqua-gel© food coloring kit (Super Red, Coal Black, Leaf Green, Sky Blue)

Beige or Tan Fondant (we like Satin Ice Peach Petal Fondant)

Jumbo White Sugar pearls or dragées (ideally 8mm or larger) – for a softer bite you can substitute by shaping small pearls out of white fondant. 


Tools & Utensils

Kitchen Scale

Measuring Cups & Spoons

Stand Mixer with Whisk + Paddle

Cupcake Pan + Liners

Piping Bags

Piping Tips: #4B (1) and #K45 (3, ideally)

Cooling Rack

Bowls

Spatulas

Pallet knife

Preparation

Cupcake preparation

1.     Preheat your oven to 325F and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2.     Whisk your sour cream and buttermilk a little at a time until it is a fully combined with no lumps. Then add in your vegetable oil, eggs and egg yolk, vinegar, and vanilla, set aside.

3.     Combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder in a large bowl.

4.     In a mixing bowl, cream together your butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add in your eggs one at a time. Scrap the sides as needed, then add your food coloring.

5.     While on low, slowly add in your dry ingredients, once mixed it should resemble sand. Then slowly add in your buttermilk mixture.

6.     Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your cupcakes and add more time as needed until a toothpick comes out with some crumbs and there is no jiggle.

7.     Cool completely before decorating.

American Buttercream Preparation

1.     Using a Whisk attachment, whip your room-temperature butter for about 5-10 minutes until it becomes bright white and fluffy. Make sure your butter turns white before proceeding to the next steps or else you will get a strong taste of butter.

2.     Start to slowly add about a cup of powdered sugar at a time while your mixer is on low. Stop mixing as soon as all the powdered sugar is in the bowl.

3.     Add in your vanilla, lemon juice, and salt.

4.     Turn your mixer on speed 4 for 2 minutes and then turn it up to speed 6 until smooth and fluffy for another minute or so. The time it takes may be shorter or longer depending on the humidity, butter temperature, and the strength of your mixer.

5.     While it whips, slowly drizzle in your hot water or liquid of choice until you reach your desired consistency. The more you add, the thinner and less stable it will be for detailed piping. Adding in a hot liquid of your choice helps melt some of the powdered sugar, in which removes some of the grainy texture AB gives.

6.     If your buttercream splits at all, or you are going to coat a cake, melt 1/3 to 1/2 of your buttercream in the microwave or double broiler and add it back into your solid buttercream while your mixer is on low.

7.     To remove any air bubbles and to create a smooth, silky buttercream, switch to a paddle attachment and let the mixer run on the stir or low setting for 15-20 minutes.

Coloring the Buttercream with Chefmaster Holiday Gels

These bright, festive shades were made using only the Chefmaster Holiday Liquid Gel Kit, using the mixing guide below. Separate your buttercream icing into 4 bowls as indicated below:

1.     Classic Santa Red

• In a bowl filled with approx. 1/5th of your total buttercream, mix:
  • 10 drops Chefmaster Super Red liqua-gel© food coloring
  • 1 drop Chefmaster Leaf Green liqua-gel© food coloring
• Transfer your red icing into a pastry bag with a #4B tip, seal bag and set aside until ready to decorate.

2.     Christmas Pine Green

• In a bowl filled with approx. 1/5th of your total buttercream, mix:
  • 8 drops Chefmaster Leaf Green liqua-gel© food coloring
  • 1 drop Chefmaster Super Red liqua-gel© food coloring
  • 1 drop Chefmaster Coal Black liqua-gel© food coloring
• Transfer your green icing into a pastry bag with a #4B tip, seal bag and set aside until ready to decorate.

3.     Icy Winter Blue

• In a bowl filled with approx. 1/5th of your total buttercream, mix:
  • 2 drops Chefmaster Sky Blue liqua-gel© food coloring
• Transfer your blue icing into a pastry bag with a #4B tip, seal bag and set aside until ready to decorate.

4.     Bright White

• Plain buttercream
• Optional: If desired (and available), add 1 tiny drop of Chefmaster Violet liqua-gel© food coloring or a couple of drops of Chefmaster Whitener liqua-gel© food coloring in a bowl filled with approx. 2/5th of your total buttercream to cancel the yellow tones and achieve a true white. Alternatively, you can mix 3 drops of Chefmaster Sky Blue liqua-gel© food coloring and 2 drops of Chefmaster Super Red liqua-gel© food coloring in a tiny cup using a toothpick and dip the end of the tooth pick covered with this color into your buttercream.
  • Tip: Start really small. Adding too much food coloring will turn your icing gray or light purple instead of brightening it. 
• Transfer your white icing into a pastry bag with a #K45 tip, seal bag and set aside until ready to decorate.

How to Pipe your Gnome Cupcakes

1.     Create the Base and Beard.

• Pipe an oval towards the back of your cupcake to act as your base for the hat later on. Use a spatula or knife to smooth it flat. 
• With your #K45 (or similar small star tip), start in the center and pull outward towards you to the outer edge form that signature pointed shape. 
• Pipe 3 lines for the bottom layer of the beard and 2 lines for the top layer to achieve the beard shape. 

2.     Add the Nose.

• Shape oval noses approx. ¾” wide using beige colored fondant.
• Place one fondant nose in the center of each cupcake, just on top of the beard.
• Place your cupcakes in the fridge for about 10 minutes to firm up before piping the hat.

3.     Pipe the Santa Hat.

• Using one of your colored icing bags with a #4B tip, pipe tight overlapping coils in an oval shape on top of the white oval base you previously made to create hat “folds.”
• Angle the tip of the hat slightly for that whimsical, oversized gnome hat vibe, by releasing your pressure and pull away to create a point.
• Carefully push a white pearl, dragée, or small white fondant bead into the colored icing at the tip of the hat.
  • Tip: you can use some food approved craft tweezers to help securing the edible pom-poms in place.

4.     Chill and enjoy.

• Chill the cupcakes in the refrigerator until ready to eat. The hats can be heavy and may start to sink downward if the room is warmer.

Tips for a Picture-Perfect Gnome Cupcakes

• Chill your cupcakes for 10 minutes before piping, as this helps the buttercream hold shape.
• Use an immersion blender to enhance your red and green shades.
• For super smooth hats, pipe slowly and keep even pressure.
• Display on a holiday board, cake stand, or in a cupcake box with a window for maximum charm.
• You can also freeze your cupcakes if you need to transport them somewhere or have them stay at room temperature for several hours before eating them. Just make sure that you’re giving them enough time to thaw before enjoying them.

Why We Love Chefmaster Holiday Liquid Gel Kit

The colors stay vibrant, consistent, and mix beautifully into buttercream without thinning it out. From Santa reds to frosty blues, the shades feel festive without becoming neon perfect for modern holiday bakes and photo worthy sweets! 

These sweet little gnomes make the cutest addition to:

• Christmas parties
• Holiday treat boxes
• Classroom gifts
• Neighbor goodie baskets
• Cozy at-home baking nights

Whether you make a dozen or three, these gnome cupcakes are guaranteed to bring smiles (and requests for seconds).