4th of July Cupcakes

What’s more fun than 4th of July cupcakes that are actually piñatas? You take a big bite, and colored sprinkles come tumbling out of the center of the cupcake! (Funfetti cake is also a fun way to use sprinkles!)

There is so much fun hiding inside each of these little gems, and the vanilla cupcakes are easily customizable using different colors or even chocolate candies. These easy 4th of July cupcakes are going to become your favorite cupcakes!

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour. I use White Lily flour for almost all of my baking recipes.
• Baking powder. Check the date on your baking powder, and if it has been open for more than 6 months, toss it!
• Baking soda. Same caveat as the baking powder, although baking soda has a slightly longer shelf life of 6 months to 1 year after opening. Here’s how to check it.
• Kosher salt. Use regular kosher salt.
• Unsalted butter. I use unsalted butter in almost all my cake recipes.
• Granulated sugar. I typically stick with one brand, Domino’s, because it gives me consistent results.
• Egg whites. Save the yolks to make a custard dessert like this amazing Banana Pudding.
• Clear extract. Use imitation vanilla extract or coconut extract.
• Buttermilk. I use whole milk buttermilk, not low-fat. And I never use the buttermilk substitute.
• Red, white, and blue sprinkles. You can go crazy here and use colorful sprinkles, mini M&M candies, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate chips, or any kind of sprinkle mix.
• Buttercream frosting. Homemade frosting is so easy to make and tastes so much better than anything in the can.
• Red gel food coloring. I used Wilton’s Red gel food coloring.
• Blue gel food coloring. I used Wilton’s Royal Blue gel food coloring.

How to make 4th of July cupcakes

Step 1. Preheat oven and prepare pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 and place cupcake liners in a cupcake pan. (These American flag cupcake liners are perfect!)

Step 2. Make the cupcake batter.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients except for the sugar and set aside.

Step 3. Cream the butter.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed until smooth and free of lumps. (You can also use a regular electric hand mixer if you prefer.)

Step 4. Add additional ingredients.

Add the egg whites and vanilla extract to the butter mixture, and continue beating on medium speed until everything is well mixed.

Step 5. Mix the cake batter well.

Pour about a third of the dry ingredients into the egg and butter mixture and beat on medium-low speed. Then add the remaining dry ingredients along with the buttermilk and fold everything together until just mixed.

Some medium or small lumps in the batter are okay. (Be careful not to overmix, or the cupcakes may not rise well in the oven.)

Step 6. Bake the cupcakes.

Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners about two-thirds full. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Allow the cupcakes to rest for about 20 minutes on a cooling rack, then use a sharp knife or apple corer to cut 1/2 inch deep holes out of the center of each cupcake. Save the cupcake centers.

Step 7. Add the surprise sprinkles!

Spoon 1 teaspoon of sprinkles into each little pocket in the cupcakes, and cover the top of the holes with the reserved cupcake centers. Set aside.

Step 8. Prepare the piping bag.

With a small paint brush (dedicated to baking and cooking), paint stripes of the red and blue food gel color on opposite sides of the inside of a large piping bag with a large star piping tip attached. (It helps if you place the piping bag into a large cup so you can free up your hands for painting.)

Scoop the buttercream vanilla frosting into the piping bag, and pipe it in a swirling motion onto the cupcakes. Make sure the hole cut out of the centers of the cupcakes is covered with frosting.

Storage tips

Serve the 4th of July cupcakes at room temperature, or store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Variations

• Try making fireworks cupcakes by using red frosting and some tall sparkler candles on the cupcakes. Your party guests will love your dessert table!
• Make different colored piñata cupcakes by using red velvet cake and white sprinkles.
• Make Funfetti cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and colored unicorn sprinkles.

Recommended tools for 4th of July cupcakes

• Standard muffin tin (12 muffins)
• 12 cupcake liners (red, white, or blue, preferably)
• Large mixing bowl
• Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• Spatula
• Paring knife
• Piping bag with a star tip
• Small paint brush