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These patriotic 4th of July Cupcakes are made with all the flavors of the classic rocket pop popsicle! With blue raspberry, lemon, and cherry frosting, this red, white, and blue dessert is fun to bring to your summer parties and barbecues!
Gluten free? Make Gluten Free 4th of July Cupcakes!
Red, White and Blue 4th of July Cupcakes
Serene from House of Yumm is bringing you some cupcake love again!
Do you remember those popsicles with the red, white, and blue?! They scream of happy childhoods. Those tri-flavored popsicles were a staple at any patriotic event growing up. So when I think of Memorial Day or 4th of July BBQs, I always think of a Rocket Pop popsicle.
Combine that with my love of cupcakes..and…BAM! Rocket Pop Cupcakes!
I love turning childhood treats into something a little different. And this patriotic cupcake recipe highlight the flavors of the classic popsicle with a hint of lemon in the cupcake, and the flavors of cherry, lemon, and blue raspberry in the red, white, and blue buttercream frosting.
These cupcakes are as much fun to make as they are to eat. The three different flavors of frosting on top were a huge hit with everyone who tried them! I These are perfect dessert for any Memorial Day BBQ or 4th of July party!
Ingredients
This recipe starts with a cake mix, but with some lemon extract to give the cakes a refreshing lemon flavor. Of course, you could make cupcakes from scratch, perhaps using Serene’s Perfect Vanilla Cupcake recipe.
Have fun decorating them too! Try different tips out when frosting. Have fun with it! That’s always my favorite part of making cupcakes!
For the Cupcakes
- White cake mix: Use your favorite brand, though you might have to adjust the amounts of other ingredients based on what your box mix says.
- Egg whites: Most call for four egg whites. Liquid egg whites from a carton work just fine.
- Oil: Use a neutral-tasting oil like vegetable or canola.
- Water: Make sure to use the amount called for in your mix.
- Lemon extract: This gives the basic white cake that bright, citrusy flavor.
For the Frosting
- Unsalted butter: Make sure it is at room temperature.
- Powdered sugar: This makes your frosting sweet.
- Heavy cream: So you have creamy and smooth frosting.
- Salt: Just a little balances out the sweetness.
- Cherry extract and red gel food coloring: For the cherry red frosting.
- Lemon extract: For the white lemon frosting.
- Blue Raspberry Jello gelatin powder and blue gel food coloring: for the blue raspberry frosting.
How to Make 4th of July Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cupcake liners in a muffin tin, set aside.
- Mix the cake mix with the other cupcake ingredients until smooth.
- Pour about 1/4 a cup of batter into each cupcake liner, filling the cupcake liners about 2/3 full.
- Bake for approximately 16 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to continue cooling on a wire rack.
Making the Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer, then beat in powdered sugar, cream, and salt until smooth and creamy. Add additional cream or powdered sugar to achieve desired consistency.
- Divide the frosting into three bowls. Add cherry extract and red food due to one, lemon extract to another, and the Blue Raspberry Jello mix and blue food coloring to the third. Stir each until the color and flavor is evenly distributed.
- Immediately frost cooled cakes and cupcakes, or store in an airtight container for later use.
Recipe Pro Tips
Frosting the cupcakes
I used a Wilton 2A tip for the red and white frostings, and a Wilton 1M tip for the blue frosting to give them that firecracker look. But you can get creative.
Storing the frosting and cupcakes
If you aren’t frosting the cupcakes right away, you can store the frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days. Bring it to room temperature before piping.
You can store cupcakes covered at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
You Might Need
- Wilton Icing Colors give the vibrant red and blue you need for these Memorial Day or 4th of July cupcakes.
- Cherry extract, lemon extract, and blue Jello provide the bomb pop popsicle flavors.
- A simple, inexpensive cake decorating kit with different icing tips give them patriotic flair
4th of July Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 box white cake mix
- 4 egg whites
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 2 teaspoons lemon extract
Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (2 sticks)
- 8-10 cups powdered sugar
- 4-6 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cherry extract
- Red Food Coloring – recommend Wilton Red No Taste Gel Icing Color
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 2 Tablespoons Blue Raspberry Jello gelatin powder
- Blue Food Coloring – recommend Wilton Royal Blue Gel Icing Color
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cupcake liners in muffin tin, set aside.
- In large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the cupcakes and stir until fully mixed, with no lumps in the batter.
- Pour about 1/4 a cup of batter into each cupcake liner, filling the cupcake liners about 2/3 full.
- Bake for approximately 16 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to continue cooling on a wire rack.
Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes.
- Add 8 cups of the powdered sugar, cream (starting with 4 tablespoons), and salt. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add additional cream or powdered sugar to achieve desired consistency.
- Divide the frosting into three bowls.
- In one bowl, add the cherry extract and red food coloring. Stir to combine.
- In another bowl, add the lemon extract, stir to combine.
- In the last bowl, add the blue raspberry Jello and blue food coloring. Stir to combine.
- Add the frosting to piping bags. I used a Wilton 2A tip for the red and white frostings, and a Wilton 1M tip for the blue frosting. Pipe the red frosting on first, folowed by the white, and blue, or as you prefer to decorate them.
- Store cupcakes at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
Did you make this?
Leave a rating below and tag @cupcakesandkalechips on Instagram and hashtag it #cupcakesandkalechips
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Originally published May 21, 2015
More cupcakes recipes
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes
- Coconut Cupcakes
- Rainbow Sherbet Cupcakes from House of Yumm
LOVE these!!! Bomb pops were one of my favorite treats as a kid. I need to go buy a box for my kids to try out. And I need to make these awesome cupcakes! Headed over for the recipe. 🙂
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the bomb pop cupcakes recipe!
Aren’t this amazing! I got a total flashback of my childhood when I saw these amazing cupcakes! The colors look stunning and the flavor combination are great. I couldn’t ask anything better than blue raspberry, white lemon, and cherry flavors in one cupcake! It’s really amazing!
I am totally in love with these cupcakes!!
Aren’t they amazing?!
These are so adorable, Serene! Love the festive colors!
She did such an amazing job! I just wish she had been able to send me a few 😉
Those are so cute! I am pinning the recipe so I can make it for my kids for the 4th of July. Thanks for sharing!
They wull love them!
So cute and perfect for the upcoming holidays xoxo