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Fireworks Cupcakes

Fireworks cupcakes are tall swirled vanilla buttercream cupcakes piped into a dramatic peak and topped with red and blue star sprinkles and sparkler picks. This easy patriotic dessert pairs vanilla cake mix with a tri-color star-tip swirl for a red, white, and blue 4th of July cupcake look.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 390
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

white or vanilla cake mix, plus ingredients on box
  • 1 white or vanilla cake mix, plus ingredients on box Use the quantity of eggs, water, and oil/dairy listed on your cake mix box to make 24 cupcakes.
buttercream
  • 1 cup unsalted butter Softened to room temperature for easy creaming.
  • 4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3.5 tbsp heavy cream Add 3 tbsp first, then add up to 4 tbsp to reach a thick, pipeable consistency.
  • 0.5 gel food coloring Use red and blue gel coloring to tint the buttercream.
  • 0.25 cup red, white, and blue star sprinkles Also called patriotic star sprinkles.
  • 24 count sparkler picks or flag picks for decoration Choose sparkler-style picks for the firework effect.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake and cool the cupcakes
  1. Bake cupcakes according to package directions in lined muffin tins until a toothpick comes out clean, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the vanilla buttercream
  1. Beat softened unsalted butter until fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed for even mixing.
  2. Gradually add powdered sugar, then mix in vanilla extract and heavy cream until combined.
  3. Beat on high for 3 minutes until the buttercream looks very light and fluffy.
Color and swirl the frosting
  1. Divide the buttercream into three portions, leaving one white, coloring one red, and coloring one blue with gel food coloring.
  2. Load a piping bag fitted with a large star tip with the three colors side by side for a tri-color swirl.
  3. Pipe a tall swirled peak of frosting onto each cooled cupcake so the frosting stands high like a burst.
Decorate
  1. Shower each cupcake with red, white, and blue star sprinkles so the stars cascade over the piped peak.
  2. Insert a sparkler pick or flag pick into the center of each cupcake and serve immediately.

Notes

For the best towering swirls, cool cupcakes fully before piping so the buttercream holds its peak. If the frosting feels too thick to pipe, add heavy cream 1 tsp at a time until it flows. Store unfrosted cupcakes airtight up to 2 days, or frosted cupcakes in the fridge up to 3 days; keep sparkler picks separate if your picks are not meant to be refrigerated. Freezing is yes for baked cupcakes (freeze unfrosted up to 2 months), but freeze fruit- or sprinkle-topped frosted cupcakes only if you’re okay with texture changes. For a lighter option, swap part of the butter with a 1:1 baking margarine designed for buttercream and reduce the heavy cream slightly as needed for piping.