We’ve made it half way through summer, ladies! I don’t know about you, but I am super excited for the July 4th holiday this week. I love all things summer: sunshine, pool days, barbeques, time with family and friends and celebrating our great nation’s independence.
I’ve got you covered on a simple and fun dessert for your get-togethers this weekend. These cupcakes are simple enough to make with the kiddos, but cute enough to bring to a picnic or pool party and look like you put forth some real effort.
Here are four festive July 4th cupcake designs, sure to make your holiday weekend a little sweeter.
As usual, I started with a dozen cupcakes. I like to use a box mix for cupcakes. My favorites are Pillsbury White Cake Mix or Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge.
I made my favorite buttercream frosting recipe, and divided it into bowls, then tinted it with food coloring to make the colors I needed: RED, WHITE, and BLUE! I kept it simple here.
1. American Flag
Tools you’ll need: Cupcakes, a frosting bag filled with red frosting with Wilton #18 tip, a frosting bag filled with white frosting with Wilton #18 tip, and another frosting bag filled with blue frosting with Wilton #1M tip, and white sprinkle stars.
Step 1: Use the shell technique to create lines of red and white across the entire cupcake. You can use a simple star technique here too (it’s easier and looks just as cute).
Step 2: Using the large #1M tip, create a blue swirl in the upper left corner of the cupcake.
Step 3: Add three white sprinkle stars to the blue swirl.
2. Fire Works
Tools you’ll need: Cupcakes, a frosting bag filled with blue frosting with Wilton #18 tip, a frosting bag filled with white frosting with Wilton #233 tip, and another frosting bag filled with red frosting with Wilton #233 tip.
Step 1: Working in a circle around the cupcake, place the blue frosting using tip 18. Then fill in the center working in smaller and smaller circles. Pull away from the cupcake with the frosting as you squeeze to create the spiky effect.
Step 2: Using the #233 grass tip and white frosting, squeeze and pull away from the cupcake to pull out the strings, making the firework effect. Work in a circle, then a smaller circle in the middle to fill in the entire cupcake. Be sure to leave some of the blue showing below around the edges.
Step 3: Repeat step 2 above, but with red frosting. Again, be sure to leave some of the white showing below.
3. Rocket Pop
Tools you’ll need: Cupcakes, a frosting bag filled with blue frosting with a Wilton #1A tip, another frosting bag filled with white frosting with a Wilton #2A tip, and one more frosting bag filled with red frosting with a Wilton #12 tip, and a festive sprinkle mix.
Step 1: Using the #1A round tip and blue frosting, make a circle around the outside edge of the cupcake. Then make another just inside of that, then one more in the center.
Step 2: Using the #2A round tip and white frosting, make a circle right on top of the center blue circle below, then another in the center.
Step 3: Using the #12 round tip, make a large dot right in the middle of the cupcake, then add a few sprinkles.
4. Simple Swirl with Sprinkles
Tools you’ll need: Cupcakes, red, white and blue frosting in separate bags with 1M tips, and a festive sprinkle mix.
Step 1: Make a large swirl over the entire surface of the cupcake, working from the outside in.
Step 2: Add sprinkles.
