Firecracker Cupcakes

5 from 4 votes

Add these super fun Firecracker Cupcakes to the celebratory Fourth of July spread this summer! These easy cupcakes are festive red, white, and blue 4th of July desserts that are perfect for potlucks and holiday gatherings.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 417kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

Ingredients

For the Cupcake:

1 box white cake mix (+ ingredients listed on box)
Blue gel food coloring
Red gel food coloring

For the Frosting:

1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup salted butter (2 sticks), softened
4-5 cups powdered sugar
5-7 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp lemon juice (about half a lemon)

For the Decorations:

6 pcs Red pull and peel licorice
Patriotic sprinkles

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare a cupcake pan by lining it with cupcake liners. You can do patriotic cupcake liners if desired.
Prepare box mix according to package instructions.
Pour cake batter into three separate bowls. In one bowl add the blue gel food coloring and mix until you reach your desired color. Do the same for bowl number two but with the red gel food coloring. Leave the last bowl as original cake batter.
Pour the cake batter into the cupcake pans alternating between the three colors to achieve an even amount of the blue, red, and white batter. Only fill ¾ of the liner.
Use toothpick to lightly swirl the cake batter in each tin.
Bake in the oven for 18-21 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
In a microwavable bowl, melt the white chocolate by microwaving it in 15 seconds intervals stirring between each interval. Let the chocolate cool down.
In the meantime, use a mixer to beat the salted butter until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and then add in the heavy cream and lemon juice. Beat until just combined.
Once white chocolate has cooled, add it to the mixer and beat everything together until desired consistency is reached. Add more powdered sugar or cream until it reaches a pipeable frosting consistency.
Turn mixer on and beat frosting for 5 minutes on high speed until very light and fluffy. This is easiest with a stand mixer, but it’s not mandatory.
Frost the cupcakes with a piping bag and your favorite frosting tip (I use a Wilton 1M) once the cupcakes have cooled completely.
Decorate with patriotic sprinkles and red pull and peel licorice to achieve a firecracker look.

Notes

Important Note: It’s important to allow the white chocolate to cool down or it will melt the butter. It can still be a little on the warm side, but not warm enough to melt butter. If you see it changing the consistency of the frosting because it was too warm, put the frosting in the refrigerator for a couple of minutes to cool down.

Nutrition