Easy 4th of July Cupcakes

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These easy 4th of July cupcakes are sure to add a fun and festive touch to your upcoming celebration! Show your red white and blue pride by whipping up this easy to make vanilla cupcake recipe that features a gorgeous multicolored swirl frosting.

Yep, these patriotic cupcakes are perfect for backyard parties, picnics, BBQs, and a day at the beach.

And just like my Patriotic Pretzels you can make them advance, so you won’t miss out on any of the festivities. Plus the kids will love to help with the baking and decorating, which is truly something worth celebrating.

Why You’ll Love Them

• Easy to Make. This recipe comes together quickly and uses simple pantry ingredients. Plus the kids can help with mixing, baking, and decorating!
• Portable. Cupcakes are ideal single-serving desserts that you can pack and take to your celebration.
• Festive. The beautiful red, white and blue swirled frosting instantly transforms basic vanilla cupcakes into 4th of July cupcakes or Memorial Day cupcakes.

Tools Needed

• Muffin Pan.
• Hand mixer.
• Mixing bowls.
• Paper cupcake liners.
• Cooling rack.

So, are you ready to learn how to make these easy fun cupcakes? Gather up your ingredients and I’ll show you…..

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

How To Make 4th of July Cupcakes

To Make The Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
2. Place paper cupcake liners inside your muffin pan.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat to combine.
5. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
6. Using a scoop, fill the paper liners halfway with batter.
7. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until risen, golden and firm to the touch.
8. Remove from the oven and keep the cupcakes in the pan for 10 minutes.
9. Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

To Make The Frosting:

1. Combine half of the vanilla frosting with 2-3 drops of blue food coloring. Stir and continue to 1-2 drops of coloring at a time until you achieve the desired shade of blue.
2. Place a large piece of plastic wrap on your counter and then add 3 rows of frosting; one row of red, and one row of blue, and then a larger row of the white. Fold plastic wrap over the frosting and roll into a tube.
3. Add star tip to a pastry bag, and then slide the tri-colored frosting into the bag.
4. Squeeze until you see the 3 colors coming out of the bag, then pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.
5. Decorate with red, white, and blue sprinkles, or as desired.

Recipe Tips

• Make sure to bring the butter and eggs to room temperature.
• Don’t overmix the batter; you want to stop once it is light and fluffy.
• Use a small ice cream scoop to fill the paper liners evenly.
• A cooling rack will allow your cupcakes to cool evenly and at the same rate.
• Wear plastic gloves to avoid staining hands with blue food coloring.

Decorating Ideas

• red, white, and blue edible sprinkles (as shown).
• candy stars.
• toothpick flags.
• blueberries, strawberries, raspberries.
• red licorice ‘firecrackers’.

Serving Suggestions

Patriotic cupcakes are the perfect dessert to serve alongside these cookout classics:

• Smoked Chicken Wings.
• Red Potato Salad.
• Watermelon Skewers.
• Peach Bourbon Smash.
• Raspberry Lemonade.

More Patriotic and Other Desserts Recipes

• Patriotic Pretzels.
• Air Fryer Churros.
• Air Fryer Homemade Pop Tarts.
• Halloween Cupcakes.

Thank you for reading my 4th of July Cupcakes recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice, and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes, and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

Get The Patriotic Cupcakes Recipe: