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4th of July Cupcakes

Make beautiful memories with your loved ones on Independence Day with these festive, vibrant, and delicious cupcakes! Tender, moist cupcakes topped with tangy cream cheese frosting in bright red, white, and blue hues will make an unforgettable 4th of July dessert!
Makes about 12 cupcakes
Course Dessert/Snack
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 760kcal
Author Imma

Ingredients

The Cupcakes

  • cups (180g) sifted cake flour
  • ¼ teaspoon (1-2g) salt
  • teaspoon (7g) baking powder
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated white sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup (60ml) vegetable oil
  • ½ cup (120ml) buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract
  • ½ tablespoon (7-8ml) vinegar
  • red food color
  • blue food color

The Cream Cheese Frosting (double if you want more frosting)

  • 8 ounces (225g) cream cheese
  • 4 ounces (113g) unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
  • 4-6 cups (450-700g) powdered sugar

Instructions

The Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 350℉ (175℃). Grease the muffin or cupcake pan, line the wells with cupcake liners, and set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • Cream the butter and sugar at high speed in a stand or hand mixer until fluffy and starts looking white. It takes about 4 minutes.
  • Add eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each addition.
  • Then add buttermilk and mix for another minute. Follow with the oil and mix for another minute.
  • Add the vanilla extract and vinegar; mix thoroughly.
  • Slowly add the flour mixture to the batter and mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
  • Divide the batter equally into 3 bowls. Add red food coloring to one bowl of batter and blue food coloring to the other. Mix gently until the colors are evenly distributed. Please don't overmix.
  • Spoon or pipe a tablespoon of the blue batter into the cupcake pan. Then, add a tablespoon of the white (uncolored) batter in each well and end with a tablespoon of the red batter. The muffin wells should be about ⅔ full so they have room to rise. You can layer the colors or mix and match as you like.
  • Bake at 350℉ (175℃) for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into a cupcake.
  • Let the cupcakes sit in the pan for 10-15 minutes.
  • Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, wrap them in plastic paper and place them in the refrigerator for at least an hour (preferably overnight). That makes frosting them so much easier.

The Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Whisk cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until creamy.
  • Gradually sift in the powdered sugar, mixing as you go until you reach the desired consistency.
  • You can pipe the uncolored frosting on the cupcakes or divide the frosting into 3 bowls and color one frosting blue and the other red.
  • Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and frost your cupcakes.

Notes

  • No buttermilk? Mix a tablespoon of white vinegar into a cup of milk. Stir well and let sit for 5-10 minutes before adding it to the batter.
  • No cake flour? Replace it with all-purpose flour. It won't be quite as tender, but it will still be delicious.
  • For light, fluffy cupcakes, resist the urge to overmix. Mix the batter until just combined.
  • For smooth batter, use room-temperature ingredients. Leave cold ingredients on the countertop for approximately 30 minutes before mixing.
  • Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 760kcal | Carbohydrates: 122g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 191mg | Potassium: 88mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 98g | Vitamin A: 798IU | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 1mg