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These red white and blue cupcakes are perfect for Memorial Day, 4th of July, or anytime your party needs a patriotic treat. Just grab a cake mix and go!
This recipe is the richest and sweetest way to show your patriotic side.
Red, white, and blue all over, these French vanilla cake mix cupcakes are the best dessert for your Memorial Day weekend and 4th of July picnic.
They taste as good as they look, and you’ll be surprised how easy it is to achieve their showstopping tri-color design.
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Serve these red white and blue frosted cupcakes with this equally festive and patriotic 4th of July charcuterie board! And if you want to make them less indulgent, this vegan buttercream frosting is a must-try!
Why You’ll Love This Red White Blue Cupcakes Recipe
- These red white and blue swirl cupcakes are easy to make with a boxed cake mix! No need to stress about measuring the dry ingredients.
- These festive and delicious July 4th cupcakes are guaranteed to impress at the party!
- These patriotic cupcakes are perfect for your gatherings this Memorial Day and Fourth of July. They’re easy to grab and great for crowds!
Ingredients And Substitutions
French vanilla cupcake ingredients:
French vanilla cake mix – You can use any flavor of boxed cake mix, but classic French vanilla is just a guaranteed crowd-pleaser with vanilla buttercream.
Eggs – For binding the ingredients together.
Unsalted butter and whole milk – For deliciously rich and moist red white and blue themed cupcakes.
Pure vanilla bean paste – For a more pronounced vanilla flavor.
Red gel food coloring and sky blue gel food coloring – For tinting the patriotic red white blue cupcakes.
Buttercream frosting ingredients:
Unsalted butter – Make sure to use room-temperature butter to avoid a curdled buttercream.
Powdered sugar – To sweeten and thicken the vanilla frosting.
Heavy whipping cream – Makes the buttercream for the red white and blue frosted cupcakes nice and fluffy.
Pure vanilla extract – You can also use almond extract for your buttercream frosting.
Red gel food coloring and sky blue gel food coloring – No need to go overboard with your gel food coloring when tinting the frosting!
Patriotic sprinkles – For festive 4th of July themed cupcakes.
Tips For Making This Recipe
Make Cupcakes From Scratch
Need a cake mix substitute? Use 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 cups of granulated sugar, 10 ounces of softened salted butter, 1 and 1/4 cups of whole milk, 3 teaspoons of baking powder, and 4 egg whites.
Use Gel Food Coloring
Using gel food coloring is non-negotiable! It won’t add extra liquid to your batter and frosting, and it’s easier to control for getting the perfect shade.
Add a Raspberry Filling
Add a sweet surprise! Before baking, swirl 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of raspberry jam into each cup of batter in the pan.
4th of July Themed Cupcakes Recipe FAQs
What is the secret to moist cupcakes?
We used milk and butter instead of water and vegetable oil to make these super moist cake mix red white blue cupcakes. You can also read these tips to prevent homemade cupcakes from drying out.
What is the best way to frost 4th of July themed cupcakes?
The best way to frost these July 4th cupcakes is with tools. However, you can also improvise and just put the frosting into a Ziploc bag, push it to one corner, twist the top of the bag, and cut off the frosting corner’s tip. Start with a small cut, so you can control the swirl size!
How do you fix undercooked patriotic cupcakes?
If the center of your Fourth of July cupcakes is still undercooked, return the cupcake pan to the oven and bake the cupcakes for 3 to 5 minutes more.
Why is my buttercream frosting grainy?
To avoid a grainy frosting for these red white and blue swirl cupcakes, sift your powdered sugar beforehand. You can also fix your grainy homemade frosting by adding a teaspoon of room-temperature milk and mixing on low for 1 minute to help dissolve the sugar.
How do I store leftover 4th of July cupcakes?
You can store your red white and blue cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If unfrosted, you can also wrap each cupcake with plastic wrap and freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost the unfrosted cupcakes before decorating!
More Delicious Cupcake Recipes
- Lemon Lime Soda Cupcakes
- Peach Cupcakes
- Maple Bacon Cupcakes
- Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes
- Cookie Monster Cupcakes
I found this recipe for Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas that I HAVE to try!
Yay! You have made it this far, and I am so glad! Hey – If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below.
Red White and Blue Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
For the French vanilla cupcakes:
- 1 box French vanilla cake mix
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla bean paste
- Red gel food coloring
- Sky blue gel food coloring
For the buttercream frosting:
- 3 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 3 to 5 tsp heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Red gel food coloring
- Sky blue gel food coloring
- 3 cups patriotic sprinkles
Instructions
French vanilla cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line your cupcake pan.
- Add the cake mix, butter, milk, and vanilla bean paste to a bowl. Mix until combined, then divide the batter into 3 bowls.
- Tint one bowl with a few drops of red food coloring and the other with sky blue food coloring. Set aside the remaining bowl without adding any food coloring for the white batter.
- Add a tablespoon-sized scoop of each colored batter into the lined cups of the cupcake pan, filling them about 3/4 full.
- Bake the patriotic cupcakes for 21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Buttercream frosting:
- Beat the butter on medium speed until smooth.
- Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar. Once it’s incorporated, gradually add the heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract. Mix on medium for 1 minute or until smooth and creamy.
- Divide the buttercream frosting into three separate bowls. Tint one with red food coloring, one with blue, and keep the third bowl without any food coloring.
- Put the star tip in the piping bag, but don’t cut the bag’s tip yet.
- Place the bag inside a glass and fold its top over the edge to stabilize it.
- Scoop 1/3 of the red frosting into the piping bag off-center. Repeat with the blue and white frosting. Do not overfill and leave some space at the top.
- Twist the top of the bag. Set aside.
- Take some plain frosting and spread it evenly on top of each cupcake.
- Dip the frosted cupcakes into the sprinkles.
- Snip off the tip of the piping bag. Pipe a small dollop of red, white, and blue frosting on each cupcake.
- Insert a star cupcake topper into the center of the swirl. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
Notes
- Need a cake mix substitute? Use 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 cups of granulated sugar, 10 ounces of softened salted butter, 1 and 1/4 cups of whole milk, 3 teaspoons of baking powder, and 4 egg whites.
- Using gel food coloring is non-negotiable! It won’t add extra liquid to your batter and frosting, and it’s easier to control for getting the perfect shade.
- Add a sweet surprise! Before baking, swirl 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of raspberry jam into each cup of batter in the pan.
Nutrition
PIN FOR LATER!
