4th of July Cupcakes
4th of July Cupcakes are deliciously light and fluffy with a patriotic candy filling and then topped with a smooth buttercream frosting! Made with a doctored-up boxed cake mix!
The Perfect 4th Of July Dessert!
Friends and family will love these Fourth Of July Cupcakes as much as the annual fireworks display! They’re moist, fluffy, and have a candy filling surprise in the center of each one – what’s not to love?!
Every memorable fourth of July celebration has grilled or smoked food, good company, and fun desserts like this one! What makes these cupcakes even better is that they’re actually quite easy to make!
Simply bake the doctored-up boxed cake mix cupcakes and then core them! Afterward, simply fill them with candy and frost them with the creamy, smooth homemade buttercream frosting!
Your hands-on time will be just 30 minutes or less!
Ingredients For 4th Of July Cupcakes
This Pinterest-worthy dessert starts with homemade cupcakes! These are made with a white cake mix, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, water, sour cream, egg whites, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
Most of which are ingredients you likely already have on hand! From there the cupcakes are cored and then filled with a mixture of mini red and blue M&M’s, red and blue sprinkles, and holiday stars.
Afterward, the candy-filled cupcakes are topped with smooth buttercream frosting. To make this unsalted butter, vegetable shortening, heavy cream, clear vanilla extract, and powdered sugar are combined.
Once the cupcakes have been frosted you can then finish this Fourth Of July Cupcake Recipe off with more fun toppings! I used more sprinkles, candy holiday stars, and fondant stars.
4th of July Cupcake Ideas
There are so many fun variations you can do with this holiday cupcake recipe! Here are some ideas and tricks to try!
- Colored Frosting! Do all blue frosting or all red! If you’re really up for some fun, you could even make a tie-dye frosting! This is done by separating the frosting into 3 colors. Then just add a spoonful of each to each side of the pastry bag.
- Make Them American Flag Cupcakes! Simply grab some mini American Flags from the craft store to stick into each cupcake.
- Dye The Cupcake Batter! Use food gel to dye the color of the batter for a more patriotic look!
- Switch Them Up For Any Holiday! Use the method of coring and filling cupcakes to make a dessert for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or even Easter! Do so easily just by grabbing holiday sprinkles that fit the occasion!
- Fresh Berries! Skip the sprinkles on top and top with fresh blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries for a fruit red, white, and blue cupcake!
- Firecracker Cupcakes! Use Twizzler Pull-N-Peel Licorice to make firecrackers to stick in the tops of the cupcakes!
- Filling Alternative! If you want something other than crunchy candy in the center, I highly recommend this Raspberry Filling recipe!
How To Make Fourth Of July Cupcakes
- Prepare The Batter: Combine the dry ingredients for the cupcakes and then slowly add the wet ingredients. Mix until combined, pour the batter into the cupcake liners, and then bake.
- Assemble The Filling: Core the center out of each cupcake (I like to use this cupcake corer) and fill the holes with the candy mixture. Place the top back onto the cupcakes to hold the filling in.
- Prepare The Frosting: Mix the frosting ingredients until smooth and creamy. Afterward, transfer it to a piping bag.
- Decorate: Pipe the frosting onto each cupcake. Then top with sprinkles, star fondant, or candy stars!
Storage For Fourth Of July Cupcakes
Store these holiday cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
More Great 4th of July Recipes:
- Fourth of July Cookies – Red velvet soft and chewy cookies that are made with a cake mix!
- Red White & Blue Ambrosia Salad – A no-bake treat filled with whipped cream and delicious fruit!
- Patriotic Rice Krispie Treats – The classic treat gets a holiday makeover!
- Mini Cheesecakes for the 4th of July – Creamy cheesecake that’s super easy to serve!
- 4th of July Bundt Cake – Prep this crowd-pleasing treat using in 10 minutes with just 5 ingredients!
Steps
Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together, cake mix, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and salt.
Slowly, add in water, sour cream, egg whites, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Mix until everything has been combined.
Pour or spoon batter into the lined cupcake pan. Make sure to only fill about 2/3 of the cupcake liner, since the batter will rise a bit.
Bake in preheated oven for 22 minutes or until the center is baked.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
In a small mixing bowl mix together sprinkles, candy stars, and mini-M&M’s.
Cut out the center of the cupcakes and fill with 1-2 teaspoons of sprinkled candy mixture. Add top back to the cupcake to hold filling in.
Preparing Frosting- With an electric hand mixer or a kitchen aid, cream together butter and shortening until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.
Add in heavy cream and vanilla extract.
Slowly, add in confectioners sugar a little at a time. If frosting is too thick you can add 1 teaspoon of heavy cream until you have reached the texture, you are looking for. Mix frosting for another 3 minutes.
If you are wanting to dye the frosting red or blue, do so at this time.
Add frosting to a piping bag and pipe cupcakes.
Top with sprinkles, star fondant, or candy stars.
Notes
- Where’s The Best Place To Find Holiday Sprinkles For This Recipe? My favorite places to check are Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and Jo Ann Fabrics. I usually grab some on clearance after the holidays. This way I always have a rainbow of colors to pick from!
- I Don’t Care For Sour Cream, Can You Taste It In This Recipe? Not at all, the sour cream just brings this recipe to the next level. It makes them richer and creamier than what you’d get in a normal box cake. Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream if desired though.
- Can These Cupcakes Be Made Ahead Of Time? You could make these the day before you need them and they’d be just fine!
- Could I Use A Whole Egg In This Recipe Instead Of Just The Egg Whites? I recommend that you stick to just using egg whites. Doing so is really what makes the cake light and fluffy.
- Which Piping Tip Works Best For These Cupcakes? For a bakery-style look, I’d suggest 2A, 1M, 6B, and 2D.
- How Long Can I Store Leftovers Of This 4th Of July Dessert? Leftovers will remain good for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container.
- Variations: There are so many fun things you can do with this holiday cupcake recipe! Here are some ideas and tricks to try!
- Colored Frosting! Do all blue frosting or all red! If you're really up for some fun, you could even make a tie-dye frosting! This is done by separating the frosting into 3 colors. Then just add a spoonful of each to each side of the pastry bag.
- Make Them American Flag Cupcakes! Simply grab some mini American Flags from the craft store to stick into each cupcake.
- Dye The Cupcake Batter! Use food gel to dye the color of the batter for a more patriotic look!
- Switch Them Up For Any Holiday! Use the method of coring and filling cupcakes to make a dessert for Valentine's Day, Christmas, or even Easter! Do so easily just by grabbing holiday sprinkles that fit the occasion!
Nutrition
- Calories435
- Carbs62g
- Protein2g
- Fat21g
- Saturated fat10g
- Fiber1g
- Sugar48g
- Sodium214mg
Estimates per serving, when a serving size is listed.
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