Easy St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes From Cake Mix
If you want to start planning a celebration for St. Patrick’s Day but are short on time, try making super easy St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes from a box cake mix. Light and fluffy, fun green color, topped with creamy green buttercream and cute sprinkles.
Why I Always Make Cupcakes
Every time I make a batch of my buttercream frosting my son will say, “did you make this, how did you make it, it is so good”. It makes me smile as he grabs a cupcake and tells me how good they are. I tell him just as I do you, it is so super easy. Just 3 ingredients with vanilla and food coloring.
If you have never made the kids cupcakes from a cake mix when you are short on time give it a try. If your kids are little they will be in the kitchen by your side before you know it and ready to help. Making cupcake is one of the ways to have quality time with kids that are so distracted with electronics.
It was a running joke when the kids were school age, that if the kids do not answer us all you had to say is chocolate cake and they would answer right away. Any cupcake mix will work and vanilla buttercream works for every cake mix.
Cooking with your kids is a special time you will always look back on with a smile. No matter how many dishes it takes or how sloppy the end result is cooking helps build children’s self-esteem. There is no better way to start cooking with your kids it to make cupcakes.
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Making Frosting Special
- If you want to go old school just grab a butter knife and dip it into the buttercream and make a layer of creamy buttercream on top of each cupcake. Have a variety of sprinkles in bowls with spoons so the kids can go to town decorating.
- To step up your frosting decorating you just need a disposable pastry bag and you only need one pipping tip.
- If you really want to get fancy you can make several different colors and use 2 or 3 pipping bags with 3 different pipping tips. If you get a coupler for your size tip you can change tips as you go.
- When picking pipping tips start with star tips that are medium or large. This way with a little pressure and a few swirls you have beautiful buttercream frosted cupcakes.
- If you have the time you can also use Russian piping tips that you can get a whole set. They take a little time to get the technique but make beautiful designs.
Russian Piping Tips 21PCS Kit, Set for | 7 Russian Tips, 10 Disposable Pastry Bags, 2 Coupler, 1 Reusable Silicone Pastry Bag,1 cleaning brush, E-book.
Tips for Making Cupcakes with Kids
Depending on your children’s age there is so much fun that you and your kids can enjoy. Very little ones can just add ingredients to the bowl or add sprinkles. They will have the most fun just dipping their finger in the frosting and eating the sprinkles.
As your kids get to be preschool and school age, this is the time to talk through while you cook. Make sure to explain all the detail of how and why you are doing each step of cooking. We have to remember that what is second nature and just muscle memory to us is all brand new to your little one.
As our kids become middle school young adults it is time to let them take the reins and let them do each step themselves, with mom or dad right there to make sure a step is not missed or to help remove the pan from the oven.
Keep in mind you know your kid’s best and their ability at each age. Use your judgment for what each child can do at each age. And remember as I say to my kids:
Safety First
How to Make St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes
Making 24 delicious cupcakes is so quick and easy. You can even divide up the process. You can make the batter and bake the cupcakes one day and then frosting them the second day.
Or you can make the buttercream put it in the fridge and make the batter, bake the cupcakes with your kids the second day. Take the frosting out to soften and warm up while the cupcakes are baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Line a cupcake baking pan with green cupcake liners.
- Spray the inside of the liner with a light mist of spray oil so the cupcakes can easily be removed from the liner after they are baked.
- To the mixing bowl add water, eggs, butter (or vegetable oil), and vanilla.
- You can use a stand mixer or a hand mixer.
- Mix on low for 30 seconds. Add 10 drops of green food coloring and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 16 minutes. Test with a toothpick, if the toothpick comes out clean the cupcakes are done. Do not over-bake.
- Let sit for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove the cupcakes in their liners to a cooling rack.
- While the cupcakes are cooling make the buttercream frosting.
- Add two sticks of room temperature softened butter to a mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed to get the butter soft and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and food coloring if desired, mix until smooth.
- Decorate the cupcakes using the frosting in a piping bag with a flower tip (see above)
- Insert into the top any St. Partick’s Cupcake topper that you like.
Easy St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes From Cake Mix
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Total Time: 36 minutes
- Yield: 28 cupcakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
Description
If you want to start planning a celebration for St. Patrick’s Day but are short on time, try making super easy St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes from a box cake mix. Light and fluffy, fun green color, topped with creamy green buttercream and cute sprinkles.
Ingredients
- Duncan Hines Signature French Vanilla Cake Mix
- 1 cup of water
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup of melted butter (or 1/3 cup vegetable oil as stated on the box)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For Green Buttercream Frosting:
- 2 stickers of room temperature butter (1 cup)
- 4 cups of powdered sugar
- 5 to 6 tablespoons of milk
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 2 drops of green food coloring.
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Add the cupcake liners to the cupcake baking pan. Lightly spray the inside of the liner.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Melt the butter in a glass measuring cup. Make sure it is not too hot.
- In a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer add the cake mix to the bowl.
- Add the water, eggs, and melted butter.
- Mix on low for 30 seconds.
- Mix on medium for 2 minutes.
- Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full. Do not overfill
- Bake in a 350° F oven for 16 minutes. (check by putting a toothpick in a cupcake, if it comes out clean take it out of the oven.
- Allow cooling in the pan for 5 minutes.
- Remove the cupcakes and put them on a cooling rack.
- When the cupcakes are cool make the frosting and frost.
To Make the Frosting:
- Mix the softened butter in the mixer on low until the butter is creamy.
- Add the vanilla.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar and the milk alternatively.
- Remove 1 and 1/2 cups of the white frosting to pipe the border.
- Add the 6 drops of green food coloring to make the green color.
- Adjust the amount of milk and sugar to get the consistency you want for your cake. You want the frosting to be stiff enough to pip but not so stiff that you can not spread.
Decorating the Cupcakes:
- Put the flower tip in a piping bag and fill it with green frosting. Pipe the flower design with a continuous sweeping motion.
- Add as many sprinkles to the top of the cupcake.
- Insert any cupcake toppers for St. Patrick’s Day.
Keywords: Easy St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes From Cake Mix
