Ready for the cutest cupcakes of the summer? These Palm Tree Cupcakes are easy to make and will steal all the attention at your next party! I’m serious, these are a showstopper and I even took them one step further and added a cute “towel” and teddy to the island scene! I started with the fabulous Pillsbury Purely Simple Cake Mix to give me a head start!
Making the pretzel palm trees is actually really easy! It would make for a great cupcake decorating activity. And because step by step photos can only show so much, Pillsbury had me make a video for you all! So you can see every step to making these adorable cupcakes 🙂
A friend sent me a photo of Just a Taste’s Palm Tree Cupcakes and I knew I had to put my own spin on the recipe and add these adorable “towel” and teddies! I mean, look how cute he is out there on his island getting tan…
You can leave the island palm tree and just serve them like that, or you can add a Fruit by the Foot “towel” and a Teddy Graham tanning on the island! Just use a pair of scissors to cut your “towels’ and then use some frosting to secure the towel and the teddy the the cupcake island!
I am a rock, I am an I-i-island (cupcake). That’s how the song goes, right? Right.
In the video I use the canned frosting but you can use any frosting you want, including the new Purely Simple Buttercream Frosting Mix. I can’t tell you how many emails I get about frosting. It can be tricky because powdered sugar is hard to measure unless you weigh it on a scale. One cup could be 1 1/2 cups for someone else just depending if you pack it in or not. But wit this new mix, all you do is add water and butter and your frosting will be perfect every time. And without any added colors, preservatives or artificial flavors.

Palm Tree Cupcakes
Ingredients
- CUPCAKES:
- 1 Box Purely Simple Cake Mix
- 3 eggs
- 1 C. milk
- 1/2 C. butter softened
- VANILLA FROSTING
- 1 1/2 C. crushed graham crackers
- 12 Pretzel Rods broken in half
- 1 1/2 C. green Melts
- green sprinkles
- Fruit by the Foot 2
- Teddy Grahams 24
Instructions
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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners.
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2. Combine cake mix, eggs, milk and butter. Beat until smooth.
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3. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes.
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4. Let cool.
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5. Palm Trees: (watch video above) Melt chocolate melts, then use a small ziplock back with the corner snipped off to pipe chocolate on the top of the pretzel creating the "palms" and immediately top with sprinkles. Continue to do this with each pretzel rod. (Work on top of parchment paper for an easy clean up.) Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
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6. Top cupcakes with vanilla frosting and then roll in crushed graham crackers. Stick in your palm tree and add your Fruit by the Foot "towel" and teddy!







What are the light green “stick” looking sprinkles, please? I’ve never seen any like that.
Will be making these for the grandkids when the pool is warm enough for them to swim!
How adorable! While I don’t live anywhere near palm trees, I think these would be smashing for a picnic/pool party. But… where’s the video? I see a blank space on the page where I assume the video would be, but nothing! Thanks!
Where did you get your sprinkles? I’ve never seen any like that.
I guess I should have read what Cindy said!
These are adorable. A little piece of advice if you decide to try them. Wait until close to when you serve them to stick the pretzels in the cupcakes. The moisture from the cake will soften the pretzels and they will not stand up. I made a cake with pretzel trees one evening. By morning my trees were drooping
I think the palm trees would be so nice for a pool party !
These look so cute! I can’t wait to make them. How many cupcakes does it make?
Adorable!!!
I’m the Editor of Fun Family Crafts and wanted to let you know that we have featured your adorable palm tree treat! You can see it here:
http://funfamilycrafts.com/palm-tree-cupcake/
If you have other kid-friendly craft tutorials, we’d love for you to submit them. If you would like to display a featured button on your site, you can get one from the right side bar of your post above. Thanks for a great project idea!
I I think they are Chocomaker Bright Green Candy Shreds. I’ve seen them at Hobby Lobby.
I made these but instead of sprinkles I attached malted milk ball “coconuts” to the palm trees. 3 on each tree looked great!
Looks like maybe coconut flakes but never seen that thin
These are very cute. If you choose to use them, a word of advise. The pretzels should not be placed inside the cupcakes until just before serving. The cake’s moisture will cause the pretzels to soften and become unstable. I once created a cake with pretzel trees. My trees had drooped before dawn.
this is lovely . a word of advise , if you choose them . the cake’s to soften and unstable . my tress drooped before dawn .
Thank you so much Lizzy for sharing this wonderful palm tree cupcakes recipe with us. I will surely try this at home.
Mister Donut is a popular donut chain that offers a wide variety of sweet and savory treats. Their menu includes classic donuts like glazed and jelly-filled, as well as more unique flavors like green tea and taro. They also have a variety of coffee drinks, pastries, and other snacks.
Great Receipe.
These look so cute! I can’t wait to make them. How many cupcakes does it make?
These were actually pretty easy to do. I baked two dozen vanilla cupcakes, covered them in vanilla butter cream icing then dipped them in graham cracker crumbs to look like sand. For the palm trees I took pretzel sticks and laid them on waxed paper. Melted green candy melt and poured it over each stick to look like palm leaves. Though most of the palm leaves looked pretty abstract. Before they set I sprinkled green sprinkles over them and set in the fridge for 10 minutes. Once set I stuck each “tree” into the “sand”.
These palm tree cupcakes are absolutely adorable and so creative! They’re perfect for a summer party or any tropical-themed gathering. Love the simple yet effective design.
What a fun and unique idea for cupcakes! The palm trees are such a clever way to decorate, and they look surprisingly easy to recreate. Definitely trying these for my next get-together.