4th of July Cupcakes

Don’t forget these festive and easy 4th of July Cupcakes for your backyard parties and festivities! They start with a cake mix and turn into festive red, white and blue treats perfect for your dessert table for the holidays.

How cute are these 4th of July cupcakes? They are a patriotic red, white and blue dessert that is perfect for your July 4th celebration!

I love to make holiday-themed desserts but I also want to keep things easy. The last thing I want to do is get stressed out trying to make some complicated dessert! I want to be outside with the family sipping lemonade and enjoying a burger with some macaroni salad and not inside worried about making and frosting cupcakes.

Well these July 4th cupcakes look complicated, but they are so easy to make because we are using boxed cake mix and just fancying it up. The cupcakes look like patriotic pinwheels with three separate colors and I promise it’s not hard to do!

Of course, you have to frost them and add some fun sprinkles – that’s the finishing touch! These cake mix cupcakes are so fun – you are going to love them!

How to Make the Cupcake Batter

You will need one box of white cake mix. You want the batter very white so the red, white and blue colors really pop. Here’s what you will need to make it:

• White cake mix
• Room temperature egg whites
• Buttermilk
• Vegetable or canola oil
• Red food coloring
• Blue food coloring

Using egg whites instead of whole eggs with yolks will give you that pristine white batter. If you use whole eggs, your batter will be more yellow and your colors may not be as vibrant.

Also, using room temperature egg whites will make it a lot easier to mix the batter. Just let them sit out at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before you make the batter.

Once you have your plain white cupcake batter, divide it evenly between three bowls.

Add red food coloring to one bowl and blue food coloring to another bowl. Leave the third bowl plain white. Stir until the colored batters are evenly colored.

Transfer the three different batters to pastry bags. This will make it very easy to pipe the batter into the cupcake liners.

How to Make Cupcakes with Three Different Colors

Once you have your batter in the pastry bags you’re ready to fill the cupcake liners. If you don’t have pastry bags, simply use a gallon size plastic resealable bag and cut the tip off of it.

In order to make three distinct colors for the cupcakes you will need a helper. It helps to have two people to pipe the batter into the liners.

One person can hold one bag and the other person can hold two bags. At the same time, squeeze equal amounts of all three colors into the liners. Doing it this way will make it easier to keep the colors separate so they don’t mix together.

Bake and Decorate the Cupcakes!

Bake the cupcakes for 12 to 14 minutes at 350°F. Cool them completely on a wire rack before you decorate them.

For the decoration, you can use a frosting of your choice and pipe it onto each cupcake. I like to use one that is white so the sprinkles really stand out!

How far in advance can you make cupcakes?

For these 4th of July cupcakes, you can make and bake the cupcakes up to a day in advance. The colors will fade over time, so be sure to tightly wrap them and keep them out of sunlight.

Wait to frost them until the day you plan to serve them. That way the frosting will be nice and creamy – it will dry out if you frost them too far in advance.

Can you freeze the cupcakes?

You can freeze the unfrosted cupcakes, too, but the colors may fade and not be as vibrant. Because of that I don’t recommend freezing them in advance.

Recipe Variations

The red, white and blue is perfect for 4th of July and Memorial Day, but you can easily switch up the colors for any holiday! Just switch up the food coloring:

• Red, green and white for Christmas
• Red, pink and white for Valentine’s Day
• Orange, yellow and white for Halloween
• Pink, yellow and light green for Easter
• Use your favorite sports team colors for game-day!

When you serve a batch of these patriotic cupcakes for your July 4th celebration everyone will go crazy for them! They are so cute and delicious, too – I know you will love them!

More Recipes for 4th of July

Now that you have dessert covered with these cute 4th of July cupcakes, here are a few more recipes you might want to try, too!

• This patriotic 4th of July Cake has three layers in red, white and blue and is topped with homemade buttercream, sprinkles, and cherries. 
• Every party needs a dip and my easy Ranch Dip is so easy to make! Serve it with chips, crackers, and veggies for an easy appetizer!
• Bean Salad is a delicious and easy side dish recipe that is perfect for potlucks, picnics, holidays and BBQ’s! It has five different types of beans, corn, pepper and a delicious homemade dressing.
• Our summer celebrations are not complete without a bowl of Homemade Potato Salad – this easy side dish is always a hit! 
• Berry Cheesecake Crumble Bars combine cheesecake with a crumble for a perfect dessert bar!
• Red, White and Blue Ice Cream is an easy no-churn recipe that is perfect for patriotic celebrations!
• July 4th Mini Cheesecakes are little bite-sized cheesecakes with a sour cream topping. Decorate them with sprinkles for a festive patriotic dessert.
• This patriotic 4th of July Cake has three layers in red, white and blue and is topped with homemade buttercream, sprinkles, and cherries. 

Did you try the recipe? Rate it, please!!!? Seriously though a five-star rating below will make my day! If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!!