Red White and Blue Cupcakes

There is nothing more of a festive treat than pinata cupcakes filled with candy for the 4th of July! These Red White and Blue cupcakes beauties are simple to make and will be a hit at your Independence Day celebration and put everyone in a patriotic spirit.

WHY WE LOVE RED, WHITE, AND BLUE CUPCAKES

• They embody the spirit of America. The patriotic colors of red, white, and blue evoke feelings of pride and patriotism. 
• These cupcakes are perfect for celebrating the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day. There's no better way to show your American pride than by indulging in these delectable treats!
• Red, white, and blue cupcakes are delicious, festive, and patriotic. They are the perfect treat for your next party. 
• Perfect for kids and adults! Each delicious cupcake is filled with a fun surprise of candies, blue jimmies, and more. The kids love biting into the surprise while the adults appreciate the flavor. They're just so much fun!

INGREDIENTS/SHOPPING LIST TO MAKE PINATA CUPCAKES

• Box Cake mix or Homemade White Cupcakes
• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Water
• Sour cream
• Egg whites
• Vanilla extract
• Red and blue mini-M&M’s
• Red sprinkles
• Blue sprinkles
• Holiday stars
• Buttercream Whipped Frosting
• Unsalted butter 
• Shortening
• Heavy cream
• Confectioners sugar

SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS

• Cake mix: You can use a white cake mix box or you can make your own homemade cake mix if you like. 
• Heavy cream: If you don’t have heavy cream, you can easily make it using regular milk and butter. To make 1 cup of heavy cream, melt ¼ cup of butter and slowly whisk in ¾ cup milk.
• Candy mixture for filling- Holiday-themed sprinkles, mini-M&M’s, and holiday stars can be mixed in a small bowl. If you would like to add any other chocolate-coated candy, you can add it into the mix.

RECOMMENDED TOOLS TO MAKE THIS CUPCAKE RECIPE

• Cupcake pans or cupcake tin
• Cupcake liners
• Electric hand mixer
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Mixing bowls
• Decorating Bag for frosting
• Star Tip for frosting

HOW TO MAKE 4TH OF JULY PINATA CUPCAKES

Filled with candy and sprinkles just like a pinata, these 4th of July pinata cupcakes are a fun, festive twist on classic cupcakes. Follow the steps below and enjoy the 4th!

1. First step, preheat your oven to 325℉. Then, line 2 cupcake tins with cupcake liners and set them to the side. 
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl (flour, cake mix, granulated sugar, and salt).
3. With an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the dry ingredients on low to medium speed. Then, slowly add in the water, sour cream, egg whites, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
4. Pour or spoon the cupcake batter into the lined cupcake pans. Only fill each cupcake line ⅔ of the way full. 
5. Bake the cupcakes for 22-minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Then, allow them to cool completely on a cooling wire rack. 
6. Mix the sprinkles, candy stars and mini M&Ms together in a small bowl. 
7. Cut the center of the cupcake, fill with 1-2 teaspoons of the candy mixture, and add the top back to the cupcake to hold the candy. 
8. Next, prepare the homemade buttercream frosting. Cream together the butter and shortening until smooth and creamy with an electric hand mixer. 
9. Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Then, slowly add in the confectioners sugar.
10. Add in heavy cream and vanilla extract.Add 1 teaspoon of heavy cream if it’s too thick and mix for another 3-minutes. 
11. Separate the frosting evenly into 3 bowls. Add a few drops of red food coloring into one bowl and mix well. Add a few drops of blue color food coloring to the other bowl and mix well.
12. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap onto a large flat surface.
13. Pipe or spoon long stripes of frosting onto a piece of plastic wrap, then roll it up. Twist edges. Cut one edge.
14. Next, place the frosting log in a piping bag, and pipe it on the cupcakes. 
15. Top with sprinkles, a star fondant, or candy stars for decoration. 

TIPS AND STORAGE

• If the frosting is too thick you can add 1 teaspoon of heavy cream until you have reached the texture you are looking for. 
• Use a small star cookie cutter to cut out star shapes with fondant that can be used as a topping on the cupcake to make this even more festive. 
• Use the large end of a large frosting tip to carve out the center of the cupcake to fill.
• If you want to dye the frosting, I recommend using gel food coloring to get the perfect coloring for these cupcakes instead of food dye drops.
• Make the cupcakes tie-dyed too by dividing up the batter and adding food coloring to make blue batter and red batter. Then, layer the batters in the cupcake liner until they are ⅔ of the way full.
• Make tie dye frosting. You can add a spoonful of different colored frosting to each side of the bag. When you pipe it out, it will create a tie dye effect. 

STORAGE TIPS

• If the frosting is too thick you can add 1 teaspoon of heavy cream until you have reached the texture you are looking for. 
• Use a small star cookie cutter to cut out star shapes with fondant that can be used as a topping on the cupcake to make this even more festive. 
• Use the large end of a large frosting tip to carve out the center of the cupcake to fill.
• If you want to dye the frosting, I recommend using gel food coloring to get the perfect coloring for these cupcakes instead of food dye drops.
• Make the cupcakes tie-dyed too by dividing up the batter and adding food coloring to make blue batter and red batter. Then, layer the batters in the cupcake liner until they are ⅔ of the way full.
• Make tie dye frosting. You can add a spoonful of different colored frosting to each side of the bag. When you pipe it out, it will create a tie dye effect. 
• Store red, white and blue cupcakes in an airtight container.
• Place them in the refrigerator for up to 3-days. 
• Remove from the refrigerator about 30-minutes before serving. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where do you find your sprinkles? 

You can find decorative sprinkles at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and Jo Ann Fabrics. Also try to find some clearance after the holidays, so you always have a rainbow of colors to pick from.

Which piping tip works best for cupcakes? 

Great question, depending on what style you are wanting to achieve I recommend 2A, 1M, 6B, and 2D. These will give you that bakery-style at home.

Can I use the whole egg instead of just the egg whites? 

Egg whites are a must in this cake recipe. This is what really makes the cupcakes light and fluffy. Plus, if you use a whole egg, you will get a yellow cake, not a white cake. 

Can you taste the sour cream in the cake mix? 

No, but this will help make your cake rich and creamer than your normal box cake. This really brings the cake to the next level.

Can these cupcakes be made ahead of time? 

You can make these a day before you need to. These will be good for up to 3 days in an air-tight container.

OTHER 4TH OF JULY RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY

• Red, White and Blue Cake Pops
• Red Velvet Twizzler Cake
• Patriotic Cake

Print

Red, White, and Blue Piñata Cupcakes

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

22 mins

 

Celebrate the 4th with these delicious red, white and blue cupcakes perfect for a backyard BBQ.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: 4th of July cupcakes, picinic cupcakes

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Calories: 370 kcal

Author: Jackie

Ingredients

• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ⅓ cup water
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 egg whites room temperature
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Candy Filling

• ¼ cup red and blue mini-M&M’s
• ¼ cup red sprinkles
• ¼ cup blue sprinkles
• ¼ cup holiday stars

Buttercream Whipped Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter or 1 cup shortening
• ¼ cup cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5-6 cups confectioners sugar
• Toppings optional Sprinkles
• Candy holiday stars Fondant stars

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with cupcake liners and set it aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together, cake mix, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and salt with an electric hand mixer or a kitchen aid mix dry ingredients on low.

3. Slowly, add in water, sour cream, egg whites, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Mix until everything has been combined.

4. Pour or spoon batter into the lined cupcake pan. Make sure to only fill about ⅔ of the cupcake liner.

5. 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.
6. In a small mixing bowl mix together sprinkles, candy stars, and mini-M&M’s.

7. 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.

8. Preparing Frosting- With an electric hand mixer or a kitchen aid, cream together butter and shortening until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.

9. Add in heavy cream and vanilla extract.
10. 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.
11. Separate the frosting evenly into 3 bowls. Add a few drops of red food coloring into one bowl and mix well. Add a few drops of blue color food coloring to the other bowl and mix well.
12. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap onto a large flat surface.
13. Pipe or spoon long stripes of frosting onto a piece of plastic wrap, then roll it up. Twist edges. Cut one edge.
14. Next, place the frosting log in a piping bag, and pipe it on the cupcakes.
15. Add frosting to a piping bag and pipe cupcakes.
16. Top with sprinkles, star fondant, or candy stars.

Nutrition Facts

Red, White, and Blue Piñata Cupcakes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 370 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 3g

Cholesterol 29mg10%

Sodium 165mg7%

Potassium 45mg1%

Carbohydrates 62g21%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 48g53%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 337IU7%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 65mg7%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.