Rainbow cupcakes are simply adorable for birthdays & holiday parties. Kids will love the, they make a great addition to St. Patrick’s Day.
Rainbow Cupcakes
Boy oh boy do I have a cute dessert idea that I’m sharing today! One that is equally cute and appropriate for both kid’s birthday parties and St. Patrick’s Day. I think you’ll find them cute, colorful, and just perfect.
Rainbow Cupcakes are too hard to resist with their cheerful pop of color both inside and out. Your eye is immediately drawn to the rainbow spread out across the top of the cupcake loftily sitting upon a billowy cloud of frosting. But wait, there’s more colorful cheer coming your way.
Upon cutting open the cupcakes you’ll find a true rainbow of colors from top to bottom. Entirely adorable and oh so delicious. Have I mentioned these treats are also semi-homemade? Meaning, you can whip them up with fewer ingredients, and trust me no one will care as they are simply too cute.
What ingredients do you need to make these cupcakes?
- White cake mix (plus ingredients listed on package to prepare cupcakes)
- Gel food coloring
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy whipping cream
- Vanilla extract
- Marshmallows
- Airheads Extremes Rainbow Berry Candy
Equipment needed to make this recipe:
- Mixing bowl
- Bowl scraper
- Cupcake liners
- Muffin pan
- Electric mixer
- Bowls
- Spoons
- Resealable plastic bags
- Piping bag & tips
- Knife
Step by step instructions (find complete instructions in the recipe card below):
Prepare cake mix according to package directions.
Divide batter into 6 bowls. Color to desired vibrancy.
Layer into cupcake liners in this color order: purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. Bake and cool thoroughly.
Prepare frosting ingredients, mix together.
Add frosting to a piping bag fitted with a tip. Frost completely cooled cupcakes.
Decorate with candy strips to form a “rainbow” add mini marshmallows for a poofy cloud effect.
Looking for other kid-friendly St. Patrick’s Day treats? Try these:
St. Patrick’s Day recipes for the adults:
- The Tipsy Shamrock Cocktail
- Irish Elf Slow Cooker Cocktail
- Guinness Float
- Cream Cheese Frosted Baileys Brownies
- Boozy Shamrock Shake
Rainbow Cupcakes
Rainbow cupcakes are simply adorable for birthdays & holiday parties. Kids will love the, they make a great addition to St. Patrick's Day.
Ingredients
- 16 ounce package white cake mix + ingredients listed on the back of the box
- Gel food coloring (rainbow colors)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 72 miniature marshmallows
- 12 pieces Airheads Extremes Rainbow Berry candy
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° degrees and line a muffin tin with the cupcake liners.
- Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions. Divide the cake batter evenly between 6 different bowls (or the same number as the different colors you
are making). - To each bowl of batter, add one color of gel food coloring. Example: 1 red, 1 orange, 1 yellow, 1 green, 1 blue, 1 purple, or whatever combination you like. Stir the cake batter well to incorporate the colors and add additional gel food coloring if desired.
- Spoon the colored batter into a resealable plastic bag or a frosting piping bag. Cut off the tip of the bag to pipe the batter into the liners.
- A flat surface works best to layer colors in the cupcake liner. Pipe batter around the outside and then quickly fill in the center, Make sure not to overload the batter in any cupcake liner. Only a thin layer of each color is required, this will assure all 6 layers will fit in the liner. Pipe the colors in this order: purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, and ending with red.
- Bake the cupcakes according to the package directions. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- To prepare the frosting, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until combined. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream with an electric mixer until it is fluffy and peaks begin to form. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
- Add the frosting to a piping bag prepared with your favorite frosting tip. Frost cupcakes.
- Trim about 1" off of each of the Airhead's Extremes Rainbow Berry with a knife or scissors. Fold the rainbow candies and press them into the frosted cupcakes.
- Finish by adding 3 miniature marshmallows to the ends of both sides of the rainbows.
Notes
- To achieve vibrant colors in the cupcakes, use gel food coloring.
- Refrigerate the cupcakes after preparing if not immediately serving. Also, refrigerate any leftovers.
- Airheads Extremes Rainbow Berry candy can usually be found in the candy aisle of grocery stores.
