4th of July Cupcakes

These 4th of July Cupcakes are a delicious way to show off your American spirit! Decorated in patriotic red, white, and blue to match the American flag, this festive and easy-to-make dessert will be the star of your Independence Day gathering and a wonderful dessert for Memorial Day too!

Jump to:

• 🌟 Why this is the best 4th of July Cupcakes recipe
• 📝  Ingredient notes
• 👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe
• 🍫 Flavor Variations & Substitutions
• 🎓 Expert tips
• 🥣 Equipment notes
• ❓Recipe FAQs
• 🇺🇸 More 4th of July Recipes
• 4th of July Cupcakes

🌟 Why this is the best 4th of July Cupcakes recipe

1. Patriotic - These easy Fourth of July patriotic cupcakes not only have wonderfully festive frosting but they’re also colored red, white, and blue in the actual cake. They’re definitely one of the best Fourth of July cupcake ideas, but this recipe is also a great option for Memorial Day.
2. Simple - When reading the instructions for a recipe as visually stunning as these Fourth of July cupcakes, you might be concerned that the steps will be too complicated to follow. With this recipe, that isn’t the case at all! Additionally, you’ll love knowing that these cupcakes only use simple, easy-to-find ingredients.
3. Delicious - The most important part of any cupcake recipe is its taste, and these delicious treats don’t disappoint. The incredible flavor in these vanilla cupcakes shines through in every bite, and the cream cheese frosting is the perfect complement!

📝  Ingredient notes

For the Red White Blue Cupcakes

1. Unsalted butter: Unsalted butter is the standard for baking because it allows you to control the amount of salt in your recipe.
2. Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar gives these cupcakes their sweetness. Read my guide on sugar in baking for more information on the different types and how they can impact your recipes in different ways.
3. Egg: The egg in this recipe acts as a binder for the other ingredients, but that's just one of its functions. Check out my egg guide for a complete understanding of the functions of eggs in baking.
4. All purpose flour: Also known as plain flour, this is the standard ingredient for giving most baking recipes their structure, but it’s not the only option. Read my flour guide for a better understanding of how different flours can affect your recipes.
5. Baking Powder: Baking powder is the way to give your cupcakes beautiful rise. It helps create the fluffy and tender texture that makes the best cupcakes. If you don’t have it on hand, however, there are many baking powder substitutes that can help you achieve a similar result. 
6. Salt: Just a little bit of salt enhances all of the flavors and balances the sweetness in this recipe.
7. Whole Milk: Whole milk adds a richer flavor to the batter and also gives the sponge cake a more tender texture. Like the other ingredients, the whole milk should also be at room temperature when you go to make the cupcakes.
8. Vanilla extract: Try using the best quality vanilla you can access, or try my homemade vanilla extract.
9. Baking soda and vinegar: This combination is the secret ingredient that gives my cupcake recipes their perfectly moist and tender texture. Do not skip it.
10. Gel food coloring: This recipe calls for red and blue food coloring to make the most vibrant patriotic cupcakes for 4th of July celebrations. Make sure you use a good quality brand like Americolor.

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

For the Frosting

1. Cream Cheese: All cream cheese-based frosting and filling recipes should use a high-quality, full-fat variety. Philadelphia is my go-to brand in these recipes.
2. Mascarpone:  Mascarpone is like an Italian cream cheese that adds an unparalleled level of indulgence to frosting and a wide variety of other recipes. If you don't have mascarpone on hand, you can find a great alternative in my mascarpone substitute guide.
3. Powdered sugar: Also called icing sugar, this sweetener ensures a smooth and even texture for your frosting.

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe

1. Step-by-step process of making the Red White Blue Cupcakes

1. Preheat your oven to 175 C / 347°F (no fan)
2. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time thoroughly mixing after each addition. Be careful not to overbeat the mixture.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt).
5. Beginning with the milk, in 4 stages, alternate between adding the milk and the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture. Use a rubber spatula to fold each portion in. Finish with the dry ingredients.
6. In a small mixing bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda and fold them into the cupcake batter immediately.
7. Divide the cupcake mix into 3 even parts. Using gel food coloring, color one part blue and one part red. Leave the third part white.
7. Spoon or pipe the mixture into your cupcake pan until ¾. Feel free to use cupcake liners for easier cleanup. You can layer the batter or mix and match colors to your liking for these July 4 cupcakes.
8. Bake for 25 minutes 175 C / 347°F (no fan) or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

💡 Top Tip: Gel food coloring is more concentrated than water-based color and will require less of it to achieve vibrant colors.

2. Make the Frosting

For more information visit my cream cheese frosting recipe.

1. Using an electric hand mixer, whip together the mascarpone, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until thick and fluffy. Be careful to not overmix.

2. Divide the frosting into two even portions and add food coloring to one of them, depending on your decorating preference.

💡 Top Tip: Overmixing the frosting may cause it to become runny so make sure you do not over whip it.

3. Assemble the Patriotic Cupcakes

1. Place the two portions of frosting next to each other on a sheet of kithcen foil. Then, roll up the foil and place it into a piping bag fitted with a nozzle tip.
2. Pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles. You can additionally place a firework cocktail pick to make them look like firecracker cupcakes.

💡 Top Tip: Craft stores often have a better selection of high-quality sprinkles than grocery stores. These will make your cupcakes stand out.

🍫 Flavor Variations & Substitutions

For further 4th of July cupcake ideas check the below flavor variations and substitutions.

Cupcakes can always be enhanced with a filling like lemon curd, caramel filling, or another delicious option from my list of cake filling ideas. You can also switch up the frosting and try a German Buttercream instead!

Additionally, this recipe has a handful of ingredients that can be swapped out. For example, you might open your pantry and find that you’ve run out of leaveners. In that case, there are many baking soda substitutes and baking powder substitutes that will make sure your cupcakes still achieve the proper lift while baking.

When making the frosting, you absolutely have to use a very fine sugar. If you don’t have powdered sugar on hand, it’s very worth it to make your own or find an appropriate powdered sugar substitute. You can also make a batch of red velvet cupcakes with just the sponge cake in my red velvet cake recipe. It will keep in line with your color scheme and give your guests an additional chocolate flavor option.

🎓 Expert tips

1. Make sure you start with room-temperature ingredients. Planning ahead and taking your cold ingredients out of the fridge about 30 minutes before beginning will help them to mix together better. 

2. Overmixing the frosting can make it runny. Pay careful attention to the texture and stop as soon as everything is well combined, thick and creamy. 

3. Be sure to cool the cupcakes completely before frosting them. Otherwise, the heat from the cupcakes can melt the frosting and ruin the cupcakes' appearance.

4. There are many 4th of July cupcake decorating ideas. Feel free to get creative and design them to fit the feel of your event. Turn this recipe into 4th of July mini cupcakes or even make an American flag cupcake cake. You can do this by arranging the cupcakes in a rectangle and adding a layer of white frosting across all of the cupcakes as a base layer, then decorating the entire cake to look like a flag.

🥣 Equipment notes

You should use a digital scale every time you measure ingredients. It's the only way to ensure your measurements are truly correct.

In addition, a digital oven thermometer is key to making sure you're baking your recipes at the right temperature.

For a perfectly shaped and evenly baked dessert, you’ll also want to use a quality cupcake tin. Finally, for the frosting, you’ll need a piping bag and a Wilton 1M piping nozzle tip.

❓Recipe FAQs

🇺🇸 More 4th of July Recipes