Nothing says "Happy 4th of July!" like homemade red, white and blue cupcakes! This 4th of July Cupcake Recipe is perfect for any Independence Day celebration.
Delicious as well as beautiful, they're so easy to make, even the kids can help out. Let's get in the spirit of America's birthday with some festive baking...your taste buds will thank you!
Make sure you check out all the other 4th of July Foods available here on the site. There's nothing like celebrating a holiday with delicious food!
Summer is the perfect time to enjoy a light and airy dessert, and cupcakes fit the bill perfectly. Made with a cake mix, cupcakes are quick and easy to prepare, and they can be decorated to suit any party theme.
And if you need to make a lot of desserts, cupcakes are the way to go - you can easily make three or four dozen at a time. Whether you decorate them with frosting and sprinkles or keep them simple, cupcakes are sure to be a hit at your next summer gathering.
Best of all, this easy 4th of July Cupcake Recipe is portable! Which means they're easy to pack up and take them with you to someone's house for a party.
Looking for more Patriotic Recipes? Try my 4th of July Appetizers, July 4th Side Dishes, Red, White and Blue Cupcakes or my Red Velvet 4th of July Cake.
Table of Contents
- 4th of July Themed Cupcakes
- What happens if you add mayonnaise to cake mix?
- 🛒Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Main Ingredients Needed
- Recipe Variations
- Step-by-Step Instructions
- How to Fill the Cupcake Pan
- Baking Instructions
- Prepare the Frosting
- How to Create the Multi Colored Frosting
- Decorating Tips
- Before You Begin!
- Storage Tips
- 📖 Recipe Card
- 💬 Comments
4th of July Themed Cupcakes
Independence Day is a time to celebrate our nation's birthday with family and friends. And what better way to show your patriotic spirit than with some red, white, and blue cupcakes?
These patriotic treats are perfect for any 4th of July party or barbecue. Plus, they're super easy to make! Just start with a cake mix and add some food coloring to the batter. Then simply bake the cupcakes according to the package directions.
Once they're cooled, you can decorate them with frosting, sprinkles, and flags. So get festive and show your American pride with these inventive 4th of July cupcakes!
What happens if you add mayonnaise to cake mix?
Cake mix cupcakes are a quick and easy way to make a delicious treat. However, they can sometimes be a little dry. One way to add extra moisture is to add mayonnaise to the cake mix.
This may seem strange, but the mayonnaise actually helps to keep the cupcakes moist and prevents them from drying out. As a result, cake mix cupcakes that are made with mayonnaise are often more moist and flavorful than those made without it.
🛒Helpful Kitchen Tools
Patriotic T-ShirtsMore InformationCupcake ToppersMore InformationGel Food ColoringMore InformationPatriotic SprinklesMore Information
Main Ingredients Needed
Here's a quick overview of the ingredients for this recipe. Find the exact amounts and click the Instacart button to easily add them to your cart – all in the printable recipe card below!
- White Cake Mix
- Water
- Vegetable Oil
- Mayonnaise
- Egg Whites
- Blue Raspberry Jello
- Blue Raspberry Flavoring
- Butter
- Vanilla Extract
- Powdered Sugar
- Heavy Cream
- Lemonade Flavoring
- Blue and Red Gel Food Coloring
- Patriotic Sprinkles
Recipe Variations
For this recipe I used gel-paste food coloring. The color is concentrated so you don't need to use a lot of drops to achieve the pretty red and blue colors. Liquid food coloring will only water down the batter and not give you the vibrant colors you see below.
If you can't find blue raspberry Jello, any blue colored Jello will work.
Also, you could substitute the homemade frosting with a canned frosting. Or even a homemade cream cheese frosting would work.
Check out my other recipe for Patriotic Cupcakes that uses a homemade red velvet cake recipe!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, egg whites, oil, and mayonnaise. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to beat on medium speed until smooth. Divide the batter evenly among three bowls. Color one bowl red, another blue, and leave the third bowl uncolored.
How to Fill the Cupcake Pan
Step 2: Fill your muffin tins with colorful layers! Start by adding blue batter to each cup, filling them about ⅔ full. Then, carefully spoon in the white batter on top of the blue, creating a distinct layer. Finally, top each muffin cup with red batter to complete the rainbow effect.
Baking Instructions
Step 3: Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 18 - 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool slightly before removing and placing them on a wire rack to cool completely before adding the homemade frosting.
Prepare the Frosting
Step 4: In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemonade flavoring. Gradually add the powdered sugar and half and half, mixing until stiff peaks form. Divide the frosting into 3 bowls and tint one blue and another red, using food coloring sparingly.
How to Create the Multi Colored Frosting
Step 5: Place a large piping bag in a tall glass, folding the top edge over the rim. Using a small spatula, spread stripes of red and blue frosting inside the bag, alternating colors. Fill the remainder of the bag with white frosting. This will create the striped effect when piping the frosting onto the cupcakes.
Decorating Tips
Step 6: Before frosting your cupcakes, do a quick test squeeze to ensure all three colors are flowing smoothly from the piping bag. Then, pipe the frosting onto each cupcake in a swirling motion, starting from the outer edge and working your way towards the center. Top each cupcake with a festive sprinkle of patriotic sprinkles to complete your red, white, and blue treats.
Before You Begin!
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Storage Tips
Refrigerate: Store the frosted cupcakes in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature. If it's summer or very warm in your house, you should store them in the refrigerator.
Freezer: I recommend freezing the baked cupcakes without the frosting. Let them cool completely and flash freeze them uncovered on a baking sheet for 1-2 hours. Then, wrap each cupcake tightly in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Thawing Tips: To thaw, unwrap and leave at room temperature for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Once defrosted, continue with the frosting and decorating instructions.
LorAnn Lemonade SS Flavor Flavor,More InformationLorAnn Blue Raspberry SS FlavorMore InformationBlue Raspberry, 3.89 OZMore InformationPaper Patterned Cupcake LinersMore InformationPiping BagsMore Information
📖 Recipe Card
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4th of July Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 - 15.25 ounce white cake mix
- 1 ¾ cups water
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 4 egg whites
- 1 - 2 teaspoons Blue Raspberry Jello
- 1 - 2 teaspoons Blue Raspberry Flavoring
For the Frosting
- 1 ½ sticks butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 - 2 teaspoons Lemonade Flavoring
- Blue and Red Gel Food Coloring
- Patriotic Sprinkles
Instructions
- Prepare the Cake Mix
- Preheat oven to 350°F,
- Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, add the cake mix to a bowl with the water, egg whites, oil and mayonnaise. Beat on medium speed until well incorporated.
- Divide the batter evenly between three separate bowls.
- Add the red food coloring to one bowl.
- Then add the blue food coloring to another bowl.
- Keep one bowl white.
- Add a layer of blue batter to the muffin tin.
- Then add the white batter and finally the red batter.
- Each muffin tin should be about ⅔ way full.
- Bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool slightly before removing and placing them on a wire rack to cool completely before adding the homemade frosting.
- Prepare the Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter for about 2 minutes or until it's light and fluffy.
- Add in the vanilla extract and the lemonade flavoring.
- Slowly mix in the powdered sugar and the half and half.
- Continue to mix until stiff peaks form.
- Divide the frosting into 3 bowls.
- Add the blue food coloring to one bowl and the red to another; again being careful to only add one drop at a time as the gel food coloring is strong.
- Decorate the Cupcakes
- Insert a large piping bag into a large glass.
- Fold the end of a large piping bag over a large glass's edge. Apply a stripe of red frosting to one side and another across from it with a frosting spreader. Continue with the blue icing.
- Place the piping bag in a large glass.
- Fold the end of the piping bag over the edge of the glass.
- Using a small spatula, spread a stripe of red frosting on one side and then another stripe across from it. Do the same with the blue frosting. This will create the stripe effect that makes these cupcakes so special.
- Finally fill the bag with the white frosting.
- Before you use the frosting, squeeze a little out to test it and make sure all three colors come out of the piping bag.
- Proceed to frost the cupcakes in a swirl motion.
- Finally add the patriotic sprinkles on top.
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