These fireworks cupcakes are a bold and festive way to celebrate summer. Topped with vibrant red, white, and blue icing and a sparkle of patriotic sprinkles, they’re perfect for the 4th of July or any star-spangled occasion. Light, fluffy, and full of color, they bring the fireworks show right to your dessert table!
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Festive Fireworks Cupcakes
July 4th is a huge holiday in America and, understandably, a widely celebrated summer holiday. Families get-together, have cookouts, take beach trips, or head to the lake. And, what do they usually watch on the night of the 4th? Fireworks, of course!
That’s one reason I love these cupcakes. They are incredibly patriotic, not only in color but also in style. They are SUPER cute to serve on your dessert table and will definitely get everyone’s attention. Don’t fireworks do that best anyway?
They look much harder to make than they are. However, I will keep it honest. They take up more time than the average cupcake, but are worth it, I promise!
Why You’ll Love These Cupcakes
- Perfect decor for your patriotic dessert table
- Cupcakes are always a crowd favorite
- Kid-approved and a dessert they can help make
Ingredients You Need
Just a few extra ingredients plus the usual cupcake ingredients, and you’ll be on your way!
- unsalted butter
- sugar
- eggs
- sour cream
- milk
- vanilla
- flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- powdered sugar
- royal blue gel food coloring
- super red gel food coloring
- silver star sprinkles
Note: Always check the recipe card for a full list of ingredients, amounts, and steps.
How to Make These Fireworks Cupcakes
Time to get festive and patriotic, not to mention an explosive time, making these cupcakes!
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a couple standard muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
- Make the cupcakes. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened butter and sugar. Cream until smooth.
- Add in the eggs, milk, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix well, scraping the sides often.
- Add in the remaining dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined. Scrape down the sides and then mix again on medium speed for about a minute.
- Using a measuring cup or a small ice cream scoop, divide the batter among each of the cupcake liners, filling about ½-⅔ full.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 14-16 minutes or until the centers are set. Allow to cool completely before decorating.
- Make the icing. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened butter, half the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix on low until combined.
- Add in the remaining powdered sugar and the milk. Mix on low until combined. Scrape the sides often and bump up the speed to medium for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the icing is smooth and fluffy.
- Divide the icing into three bowls. Tint one bowl red, one blue, and leave the remaining bowl white. ***Keep in mind that the color will develop the longer it sits so add enough gel food coloring to get within a couple shades of the color you’re looking to achieve, knowing that it will darken as it sits. Highly recommend using gel or powder food coloring that are more concentrated (vs liquid).
- Transfer each of the icing colors to piping bags fitted with a grass tip – we used Wilton 233.
- Ice the cupcakes. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, they can be decorated. Hold the blue piping bag at a 45 degree angle to the cupcake and pipe short stripes of icing just around the outside edge, rotating the cupcake as you go.
- Add another round of white icing in the same manner, starting a little closer to the center of the cupcake and only overlapping a bit over the blue.
- Finally, follow up with the red icing at the center of the cupcake and overlapping with the white. Alternatively, you can also change the color sequence and begin with red, then white, then blue.
- Decorate the cupcakes. Sprinkle the silver star accents over the top.
- Serve and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks – Fireworks Cupcakes
• These can be made the night before. I wouldn’t recommend storing for too much more in advance to retain freshness.
• Store these in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
•Use food gel or powder instead of liquid food coloring, as it’s more concentrated.
• Remember, the longer the food gel sits, the darker it gets. Be sure to tint the icing a couple of shades lighter so it will darken to the desired shade.
Want to Change it Up?
To change up this recipe, you can add food coloring to the batter, use different sprinkles, and decorations. Alternatively, you can fit your piping bags with a star tip and pipe stars on top of your fireworks for a little “stars and stripes” action!
More 4th of July Recipes
Fireworks Cupcakes
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- piping bag
- cupcake pans-12 cup
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 3½ cup flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons milk
- royal blue gel food coloring
- super red gel food coloring
- silver star sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a couple standard muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
For Cupcakes
- Combine the softened butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream until smooth.1 cup unsalted butter, 2 cups sugar
- Add in the eggs, milk, sour cream and vanilla. Mix well, scraping the sides often.4 eggs, 1 cup sour cream, ½ cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Add in the remaining dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined.3½ cup flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- Scrape down the sides and then mix again on medium speed for about a minute.
- Use a measuring cup or a small ice cream scoop to divide the batter between the cupcake liners, filling each about ½-⅔ full.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 14-16 minutes or until the centers are set. Allow to cool completely before decorating.
For Icing
- Combine the softened butter, about half of the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of stand mixer. Mix on low until combined.1 cup unsalted butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add in the remaining powdered sugar and the milk. Mix on low until combined. Scrape the sides often and bump up the speed to medium for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.3 tablespoons milk
- Divide the icing between three bowls. Tint one bowl red, one blue, and leave the remaining bowl white.royal blue gel food coloring, super red gel food coloring
- Transfer each of the frostings to piping bags fitted with a grass tip (we used Wilton 233).
- Ice the cupcakes once they are completely cool. Hold the blue piping bag at a 45-degree angle to the cupcake and pipe short stripes of icing just around the outside edge, rotating the cupcake as you go.
- Add another round of white icing in the same manner, starting a little closer to the center of the cupcake and only overlapping a bit over the blue.
- Follow up with the red icing at the center of the cupcake and overlapping with the white icing. Alternatively, you can also change the color sequence and begin with red, then white, then blue.
- Decorate the cupcakes by sprinkling the silver star accents over the top.silver star sprinkles
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
2 ) We highly recommend using gel or powder food coloring that is more concentrated (vs liquid).
Nutrition
Nutritional information accuracy not guaranteed.
