These delicious Red, White and Blue Cupcakes are made with blue and red cupcake batter and stuffed with sugar sprinkles. I also call them firecracker cupcakes because when you get to the center, it's like a pop of sugar in your mouth! They're topped with a homemade cream cheese frosting and patriotic sprinkles. My kids can't get enough of them!
Sometimes I make them with a box of cake mix to keep it easy, and other times I make a homemade cupcake batter. How to do both is included in my recipe instructions, so you have options! They're great for Memorial Day and Fourth of July cookouts and as a dessert all summer long, like our patriotic charcuterie board.
Cupcake Ingredients
You have 2 options when making cupcakes: using boxed cake mix or homemade cupcake batter. The homemade recipe I am sharing with you makes a fantastic moist cupcake, but if you find it easier to pop open a box of cupcake mix and make the batter that way, that's great too.
To make the homemade cupcake mix, you need:
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Butter
- Sugar
- Milk
- Red, white and blue food coloring
Frosting Ingredients
There are 2 options for the frosting: using store bought or making a homemade frosting. I make patriotic cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting this recipe includes, but feel free to make your favorite frosting recipe or use packaged frosting for simplicity.
To make the cream cheese frosting, you need:
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
- Patriotic sprinkles
How To Make Red, White and Blue Cupcakes
- Mix the homemade cupcake batter in a large mixing bowl. Alternatively, use a vanilla or white boxed cake mix.
- Divide the batter into 2 bowls and add red or blue food coloring to each bowl. Start with 4-5 drops of dye, mix, and add as needed for the color you like.
- Once you have the red and blue batter mixed thoroughly, pour it into piping bags. Make sure to secure the end of the bags with rubber bands. If you don't, you risk the batter coming out the top and making a giant mess.
- Line the muffin tin and squeeze a few tablespoons of each color batter into the cups until they are ⅔ of the way full.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool for 15 minutes before filling with the sprinkles and icing.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled, it's time to insert the sprinkles. To make a hole in the center of each cupcake, insert a straw and twist it just a little bit. This will either push the insides down a little or pull them out with the straw, making room for the sprinkles. Put a funnel into the hole and dump some sprinkles in. Shake the funnel a little bit to help them slide down.
- Make the cream cheese frosting. Make the cream cheese frosting. Beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract on medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the confectioner's sugar 1 cup at a time and beat until smooth. Put the frosting into another piping bag with your choice of piping tip and cover the cupcakes with the icing. Add the sprinkles to the icing.
How To Store Cupcakes
Red, white and blue cupcakes can be made ahead of time and stored at room temperature or in the fridge. You can ice them ahead of time too, and store them in the fridge for about 3 days before eating.
Recipe
Red White and Blue Cupcakes
Equipment
- 1 standard size muffin tin
- 12 cupcake liners
Ingredients
Homemade Cupcakes
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- blue food coloring
- red food coloring
- red white or blue sugar sprinkles
Packaged Cupcakes
- 1 package white cake mix plus package ingredients
Frosting
- ½ cup butter softened
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 3 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- patriotic sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to temperature indicated on cake mix package. Line muffin tins. If making homemade cupcakes, preheat oven to 350°F.
- For packaged cupcakes, make cake mix according to package. For homemade cupcakes, beat the sugar and butter on high for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and milk and beat for 2 minutes. Add flour, salt, and baking powder and beat until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Divide the batter between 2 bowls. Dye 1 bowl red and 1 bowl blue with food coloring. Use 3-4 drops to start, adding more to reach your desired hue. Transfer icing to piping bags and secure end with a rubber bands. Alternate adding drops of blue and red icing to each cup until they are ⅔ full.
- Bake for time indicated on package, or 15 minutes for homemade cupcakes. Let cool 15 minutes before stuffing with sprinkles and frosting.
- Fill cupcakes with sprinkles by inserting a straw into the center of each cupcake to form a hole. Use a funnel to pour sprinkles into the hole.
- Make the cream cheese frosting. Beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract on medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the confectioner's sugar 1 cup at a time and beat until smooth. Transfer icing to a piping bag.Frost cupcakes in the pattern you'd like. Alternatively, use a knife to spread on icing. Top with red and blue sprinkles.
Nutrition
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