Red White and Blue Patriotic Cupcakes are the perfect Fourth of July Cupcakes to show off your American pride. Made using a box cake mix and topped off with homemade buttercream frosting, these red, white and blue layered cupcakes will be the star of every Fourth of July dessert table.

For the record, I would like to say that I TRIED!! I made a batch of these adorable Red White & Blue Patriotic Cupcakes from SCRATCH!! I measured, I mixed but didn’t over-mix, I did everything right. And was rewarded with 24 tri-colored Fourth of July cupcake hockey pucks that I couldn’t even give away.

So, for this Red White and Blue Patriotic Cupcakes recipe I am going back to my tried and true, the evil devil that is the boxed cake mix. I will continue to become the amazing from scratch baker that I am sure we all know I can be (cough.. cough) but Memorial Day and Fourth of July are right around the corner and I simply don’t see my superhero skills evolving in that small amount of time.

Be bad, pick up the boxed cake mix. I promise I won’t tell on you and I also promise you will be rewarded with perfect Red White and Blue Patriotic Cupcakes cupcakes.

So what makes these Red White and Blue Patriotic Cupcakes so special and a must have Fourth of July dessert? Just look at them!!! What are you bringing the party?.. pasta salad? Um .. NO!! Name a better red white and blue dessert to bring to any/every Fourth of July party than red white and blue cupcakes!! Who doesn’t love cupcakes and when you roll up with red white and blue layered cupcakes .. ahhh .. HELLO!!! Forget the fireworks.. you just became the hottest thing at that party.

HOW CAN I IMPROVE A BOX CAKE MIX?

If you want to make a box cake mix taste like a bakery cake, start by looking at the directions on the cake mix and add one or even two extra eggs (or egg whites if making a white cake) than what is called for. Next, use melted butter in place of the oil and double the amount called for. Lastly, use whole milk instead of water.

HOW DO YOU MAKE RED WHITE & BLUE PATRIOTIC CUPCAKES?

Easy! To make your Red White and Blue Patriotic Cupcakes, start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees or whatever the boxed cake mix calls for. Combine your Red White and Blue Patriotic Cupcakes batter as instructed but add in one extra egg white, substitute the water for milk and use melted butter in place of the oil and double the amount of oil called for. Separate your batter evenly into three different bowls.

Add in the blue food coloring to one bowl and the red into another (go heavy with the food coloring, the color lightens as it cooks). The third bowl leave as is. Using a Tablespoon, spoon one tablespoon of blue batter into the cupcake tins which have either been coated in non-stick spray or filled with cupcake liners.

Spoon gently to make an even layer. Follow with same procedure with the white batter and then with the red. Fill the tins 2/3 of the way full.

Bake as the box instructs and when done, remove from the oven and let sit 2 minutes before removing the cupcakes to a cooking rack. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Once your Red White and Blue Patriotic Cupcakes are cool, make your frosting. In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, whip your butter until creamy and add in your powdered sugar, vanilla, cream and salt. Mix to combine. Spoon your frosting into a piping bag or a storage bag with the corner snipped off and frost your cupcakes.

That being said, these Red White and Blue Patriotic Cupcakes will impress everyone at your July 4th gathering and you can just sit back and take all the credit for being THAT amazing. You’re welcome!

HELPFUL HINTS

Try to drop your Red White and Blue Patriotic Cupcakes batter straight down in your cupcake liners, then using the tip of a spoon, spoon the batter out to the sides of the cupcake wrapper to make a level layer. Remember, you are working with layers so gently push the batter you just dropped and not the layer underneath.
Measure your Red White and Blue Patriotic Cupcakes batter evenly into 3 different bowls to work in. I say this as someone who had three cupcakes with no red layer the first time I made these because I did not (say it with me …..) MEASURE my batter.
Don’t over fill these Fourth of July cupcakes. I usually start by lightly adding the first layer to all 24 cupcake liners and then going back to evenly top them off. The same with the second and third layers. Your cupcakes should end up about 2/3 full and that is right where you want it.

And if you are looking for more festive recipes, don’t forget to check out my Red White & Blue Whoopie Pies my Fourth of July Red White and Blue Bombpop Cocktail and my Red White and Blue Cheesecake Bars.

ENJOY!!

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