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4th of July Firecracker Cupcakes

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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.

  1. Mix together a box cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, and oil. 
  2. Divide the cake batter evenly into 3 bowls.
  3. Tint two of the bowls of cake batter with red and blue gel colors.
  4. 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.
  5. Bake and cool.
  6. Swirl vanilla frosting on top of the cooled cupcakes using an icing bag and icing tip 1M.
  7. Top with red, white, and blue sprinkles and a licorice candy fuse.
Four pictures collaged together showing how to make the red white and blue layers in firecracker cupcakes.Two red white and blue cupcakes decorated with vanilla frosting, sprinkles, and Twizzlers on a blue towel.

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 1/2-3/4 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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Two red white and blue cupcakes with candy fuse on top.

Fourth of July Cupcakes Recipe

Yield: 24 cupcakes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

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".

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

  • 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

For the Frosting

  • 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

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place 24 liners in a cupcake pan.
  2. Beat together the cake mix, pudding mix, water, oil, and eggs in a mixing bowl. Beat for 1 minute on low, and 2 minutes on medium.
  3. Divide the batter evenly into 3 bowls. Add a little red and blue food coloring to two of the bowls.
  4. Fill your cupcake liners 2/3 full by alternating colors 1 Tablespoon at a time. Change it up by starting with a different color each time. Bake 20-22 minutes or until the top springs back. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
  5. Beat the butter, salt, and vanilla until creamy. Slowly add 4 cups of powdered sugar and heavy whipping cream until completely mixed in. If the frosting is too soft, add more sugar. Beat on high for a minute or until light and fluffy.
  6. Use an icing bag and icing tip 1M to swirl the frosting on the cooled cupcakes. Push a short piece of licorice into the top of each cupcake and add sprinkles on top. Store in a loosely sealed container.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 291Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 224mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 0gSugar: 28gProtein: 2g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

© Jocelyn @ Inside BruCrew Life
Cuisine: American / Category: 4th of July Recipes
Two pictures of Firecracker Cupcakes collaged together with a red text box.
Firecracker cupcakes on a white plate and white cake stand with red white and blue papers behind them.

(original photo from 2011)

*This post was originally posted in June 2011. The post and pictures were updated June 2021.

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Comments

  1. Maureen Blackburn says

    I love that you group all your red white and blue dessert recipes here for me to choose from for this year. The firecracker cupcakes are my first choice. You are SSSOOOOO right about the great flavor and silkiness that the pudding addition adds to the recipe. PERFECT!!!!!!!

    Reply

  3. Jenn Erickson says

    Jocelyn, thank you so much for being a part of the festivities at Rook No. 17! I love these cupcakes! I wish you (and your cupcakes) could have come to our real-life 4th of July party!

    Best, Jenn

    Reply

  5. Liz says

    I will so try these with my kiddos in just a minute! Lol thought of you when I bought like 6 packs of cupcake liners on clearance at Michael’s, yours are always adorable! Thx for the fun kid-friendly recipe 🙂

    Reply

  11. Heidi says

    Thanks for sharing this! I was planning to make cupcakes with DD today, and we just so happen to have a package of those Twizzlers–perfect! 🙂

    Reply

  14. Amy says

    Thanks for sharing; I need an idea for a dessert I can make with my 2 yr old son to take to our 4th of July party…I think this will be the winner! He’s a sucker for cupcakes. 🙂

    Amy
    oneartmama.blogspot.com

    Reply

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