Preheat oven to 325°F and line a cup cake pan with cupcake liners
Mix up one batch of my white cake mix, add half of the crushed candy canes and gently mix in – set aside
Mix up the red velvet cake mix then mix in the remaining crushed candy canes.
Scoop 2 spoonfuls of red velvet batter into each cupcake liner. Then scoop 1-2 spoonfuls of white batter on top of the red velvet batter. Then using a knife or toothpick swirl the mixtures together. Be careful not to mix them together too thoroughly or else the white will completely incorporate.
Bake the cupcakes for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Vanilla Buttercream- depending on how you frost these you may need to double this recipe*
In a stand mixer, whip your butter chunks on medium high speed until the butter is light and fluffy.
Add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, letting it mix into the butter completely. Add in the vanilla*, heavy cream, and pinch of salt, allowing the ingredients to incorporate fully. If it's not thick enough mix in another ¼ cup of powdered sugar.
Pipe on top of the cooled cupcakes with a 1M Piping Tip then sprinkle with more crushed candy canes or stick a mini candy in each cupcake.
Notes
Tips and Tricks
You can also add ½-1 teaspoon of peppermint extract to the frosting for even more peppermint flavor. Just add a little, mix, and add more if you want. Peppermint flavor can easily overwhelm everything.
If you go really big on frosting these cupcakes you might need to double the frosting recipe. If you frost them like these cupcakes you won't need to double the recipe, but if you want a large swirl like in the picture in this post you will likely need to double it.