Name: Fourth of July Cupcakes Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 vanilla cake mix; 1 - 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding; 1 cup water; 1/2 cup oil; 4 large eggs; blue and red gel food coloring; 1 cup unsalted butter; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract; 4 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream; 4-5 cups powdered sugar; 1 package pull and peel licorice, cut into small pieces; red, white, and blue sprinkles

Jump to Recipe

Do you want to show up at summer parties with the BEST 4th of July Cupcakes? Make a BANG and bring these Firecracker Cupcakes. These red white and blue fireworks cupcakes are a delicious way to enjoy "fireworks".

Two red white and blue firecracker cupcakes with vanilla frosting, sprinkles, and twizzlers on blue coasters.

Fourth of July Cupcakes

Do you need a super easy and fun dessert for the Fourth of July??? My daughter and I had so much fun making these red, white, and blue Firecracker Cupcakes and this 4th of July Bundt Cake for a party we were going to.

These are the perfect summer cupcake to bake with your kids. We loved seeing how different each cupcake baked up depending on what color we started with on the bottom.

Take these Firecracker Cupcakes to all the summer picnics you are invited too. But BEWARE because once people know you can make such cute stuff, it will be expected for every 4th of July picnic you attend.

Three firecracker cupcakes decorated with vanilla frosting, sprinkles, and a Twizzler "fuse".

What You'll Need

These red white and blue cupcakes are quite easy to make with just a few ingredients. Kids will enjoy swirling the colors and adding the fun firecracker decorations.

For the Cupcakes

White Cake Mix - white will give you the best colors
White Chocolate Pudding Mix - instant dry powder only
Eggs, Oil, & Water - ingredients from the back of cake mix box
Red & Blue Gel Colors - the gel colors will keep your cake batter from being too thin

For the Vanilla Frosting

Butter - unsalted and softened ahead of time
Salt & Vanilla - adds flavor and balances out the sweetness
Powdered Sugar - sweetens and thickens the buttercream frosting
Heavy Whipping Cream - whips the frosting up
Licorice - the pull and peel licorice looks the most like a fuse
Sprinkles - a red white and blue mix with stars

A white board with the ingredients needed to make Firecracker Cupcakes.

How to make Firecracker Cupcakes

Put a spark in your Fourth of July parties with these fun patriotic cupcakes. The colorful layers are easy to do, and the candy "fuse" on top makes them look like a firecracker.

Mix together a box cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, and oil.
Divide the cake batter evenly into 3 bowls.
Tint two of the bowls of cake batter with red and blue gel colors.
Place 24 cupcake liners in a pan. Place 1 spoonful of a color in the bottom of each liner. Repeat with spoonfuls of the other two colors. You can alternate which color you start with to make each cupcake different.
Bake and cool.
Swirl vanilla frosting on top of the cooled cupcakes using an icing bag and icing tip 1M.
Top with red, white, and blue sprinkles and a licorice candy fuse.

Tips and Tricks

Measure the cake batter evenly into three bowls, so you have enough to make 24 cupcakes with all three colors in them.
Do not over fill the cupcake liners. This doctored up cake mix will bake up nice and fluffy. The liners should be ½-3/4 full.
Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before adding the frosting and decorations.
Store the cupcakes in a sealed container on the counter for 2-3 days. The patriotic cupcakes can be kept in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

A red white and blue cupcake cut in half showing the swirls of colors inside.

Recipe Variations

These red, white, and blue cupcakes are an awesome 4th of July cupcake idea, but they are easy to make for any holiday.

Change out the colors for any holiday or event. Use red and green for Christmas or pink and red for Valentine's Day.
If you want to make an even easier cupcake, just make the recipe on the back of the box instead of adding pudding.

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Two firecracker cupcakes in red white and blue liners topped with vanilla frosting, Twizzlers, and sprinkles.

More Red White and Blue Desserts

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Fourth of July Cupcakes Recipe

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes