Red, White and Blue Cupcakes

The summer holidays will be here before we know it, and it’s time to celebrate with these Red, White, and Blue Cupcakes. These cupcakes are super moist, and the buttercream frosting is so irresistible you could eat it with a spoon.

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Red White and Blue Cupcakes

With only one more day until the big 4th of July celebrations, have you decided what you are bringing to that BBQ you are invited to? Cupcakes are a wonderful dessert to bring to any cookout or get together. They are portable, easy to carry, and always bring a smile to the faces of adults and kids alike. What better way to celebrate the birth of America than with Patriotic Cupcakes? Swirled with the colors of our flag, these cupcakes are sure to be a hit! I adapted these cupcakes from my favorite recipe for a classic white layer cake. I can always count on them to bake up super moist and tender. To achieve the color layers, I layered the batter in the muffin tins by squeezing the different colored batters by using zip lock bags with the ends snipped off. This made the process so much quicker and less messy! The result is a beautifully swirled patriotic cupcake that’s perfect for the 4th of July! 😀

We love eating cupcakes for pretty much any occasion you can think of. Anytime you want something that is sweet, festive, and delicious, make these beauties, and they will pretty much disappear before your eyes. Their irresistible flavor is something you will crave, and your taste buds will be so happy to indulge.

How do I Keep the Colors from Mixing Together? 

The easiest way to prevent the colors from mixing together is by adding one color at a time. Start by layering in the red part of the cupcake, followed by the white and lastly the blue. This will keep each color individually and looking fabulous as a whole. Otherwise, if the colors do mix, you will end up with a light purple color instead of red, white, and blue.

Tips for Freezing Baked Cupcakes

For best results, freeze the cupcakes without frosting them first. This will keep them fresh, and you don’t have to worry about messing up the frosting. If you do decide to freeze with frosting, just make sure to put them into a container that is tall enough that they don’t get smashed when you put the lid on. Also, you can separate the cupcakes from each other in the container, too, so they aren’t touching. 

Another option is to flash freeze the cupcakes on a baking sheet. Just put them in the freezer on the baking sheet for 2-3 hours, then take them out and put them in whatever container you are planning to keep them in. This will keep them from getting messed up if they do touch each other. 

To serve, simply take out of the freezer and place them either in the fridge or on the counter until you are ready to eat. They typically thaw pretty quickly.

Ingredients

There are two sets of ingredients for this recipe. You will have a set for the cupcakes themselves and a set for the frosting too. Nothing is difficult to use or find and are all reasonably simple to use. 

For the Cupcakes:

• Cake flour
• Whole milk, at room temperature
• Large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature
• Almond extract
• Vanilla extract
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder
• Table salt
• Unsalted butter softened but still cool
• Blue and Red Icing Color

For the Buttercream Frosting:

• • Unsalted butter softened
  • Confectioners’ sugar
  • Table salt
  • Vanilla extract
  • Heavy cream
  • Blue and Red Icing Color
  • Disposable decorating bag
  • Featherweight decorating bag
  • Coupler

How to Make Red White and Blue Cupcakes

These easy cupcakes are the perfect way to add style and elegance to your holiday dessert table. Make a batch and watch everyone’s face light up when they see them. 

First Step: Warm the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin pan with liners. 

Second Step: Combine the milk, egg whites, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a glass measuring bowl with a fork until mixed. 

Third Step: Using a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix with the paddle attachment. Then add butter and beat slowly until it resembles moist crumbs. 

Fourth Step: Pour 1/2 cup of the milk into the crumbs and beat for 1 1/2 minutes at medium speed. Pour in 1/2 cup of milk and beat a few more seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary and beat for an additional 20 seconds. 

Fifth Step: Put a scant cup of the cake mix into each of the three mixing bowls. Add food coloring to make one red and one blue. Leave the last one alone, so it stays white. Put each batter into its own ziplock bag. 

Sixth Step: Put the cake batter into the cupcake tin and alternate colors. Start with red, then do white, then lastly blue.

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Seventh Step: Bake the cupcakes for 15 – 17 minutes or until they are completely done. Place the cupcakes on a wire rack so they can cool then take them out of the muffin tin. Once cool, frost them with buttercream frosting.

Eighth Step: While the cupcakes are cooling, use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and beat the butter using medium-high speed. Once it’s smooth, add in the confectioners’ sugar and the salt. Beat at medium-low speed for about 45 seconds or until the sugar is mostly moistened. Scrape the bowl as needed. Add in the vanilla and heavy cream and keep beating until it becomes light and fluffy. 

Ninth Step: Put the frosting into three separate bowls. Add food coloring to make a red bowl, white bowl, and blue bowl. Then add the frosting to decorator bags. Begin frosting the cupcakes in a spiral. Serve and enjoY! 

Now, remember to save this recipe on Pinterest for later 🙂

Red, White and Blue Cupcakes

Servings: 24 cupcakes and 3 cups of frosting

These Red, White, and Blue Cupcakes are super moist, and the buttercream frosting is so irresistible you could eat it with a spoon.

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Ingredients 

For the Cupcakes:

• 2 ¼ cups cake flour
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons whole milk, at room temperature
• 6 large egg whites, 3/4 cup, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoons table salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool
• [Blue and Red Icing Color]

For the Buttercream Frosting:

• 20 tablespoons 2½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 20 tablespoons 2½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 2½ cups Confectioners’ sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• [Blue and Red Icing Color]
• 3 12 inch [disposable decorating bag]
• 1 18 inch [featherweight decorating bag]
• 1 [Coupler]

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper liners.
• In a 2-cup glass measure, combine milk, egg whites, and extracts and mix with fork until blended.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add butter and continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.
• Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed for 1½ minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium speed and beat 20 seconds longer.
• Pour a scant cup of the cake mix into three separate mixing bowls. Color one bowl red, another blue and leave the last bowl white. Place the batters into three individual Ziploc bags.
• Squeeze cake batter into each cupcake well, alternating colors. (I did red first, followed by white…)
• Then blue on top…
• Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer muffin pan to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cool completely prior to frosting.
• To make buttercream frosting, in standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add confectioners’ sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Scrape down bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds; scrape bowl, add vanilla and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.
• To make the color swirls. Divide frosting into three separate bowls. Color one bowl of frosting blue, another red and leave the last bowl white. Place each color in separate disposable decorators bags. Place the three filled disposable decorators bags into a large decorators decorating bag fitted with the 1M decorating tip and approximately 1/4″ above cupcake top at a 90° angle to cupcake surface, pipe a spiral of icing, beginning at the outer edge and working inward.

Notes

Source: adapted from Mardi Gras Cupcakes

Author: Laura

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