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American Flag Cupcakes

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These adorable American flag cupcakes are the perfect patriotic-themed dessert for any of the upcoming holidays. Made with your favorite yellow cake mix and red, white, and blue buttercream icing, these American flag cupcakes are not only beautiful but delicious.

Three American Flag Cupcakes on a white wood background.

These American flag cupcakes are so incredibly easy to make, decorate, and will bring some extra festive flair to your desserts.Summer holidays, like Memorial Day, July 4th Independence Day, and even Labor Day, all have fun and festive dessert tables full of trifles, cakes, and this Patriotic Popcorn Cake, etc.

You might want to enjoy some Red White and Blue Jello Shots while making these cute 4th of July Cupcakes!

Three American Flag Cupcakes on a white wood background.

 

Why You’ll Love American Flag Cupcakes

These red white and blue cupcakes aren’t hard to make.  Once you get a rhythm going, decorating them goes pretty fast.

You can use yellow cake mix, chocolate cake mix, boxed cake mix or even use your own homemade cake recipe. It’s a great dessert to use any of your extra cake mixes in the pantry.

Patriotic Cupcakes are perfect for Independence Day, Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, and (of course) for Flag Day.

More Fourth of July Recipes

Patriotic Popcorn Cake (Buttery Marshmallow Yum!)

Red White and Blue Jello Shots

Red White and Berry Vodka Lemonade

 

 

Kitchen Equipment

  • MUFFIN TIN
  • MIXING BOWL
  • 2 MEDIUM BOWLS
  • PIPING BAGS: Grab 3 disposable frosting bags, one for each color of frosting. This disposable frosting bag kit comes with a variety of decorative tips.
  • WILTON 18 STAR TIPS: You’ll need three, one for each frosting piping bag.
  • CUPCAKE LINERS: Can’t forget these! You can usually find patriotic and festive liners around the Memorial Day and 4th of July holidays. Using a tin liner helps make it easier to remove the cupcakes from the baking tin.

Recipe Ingredients

Get more info on these ingredients in the recipe card below.

YELLOW CAKE MIX: You can swap this boxed mix out for homemade mixes or any of your other favorite cake mix. Gather the ingredients your cake mix recipe calls for such as eggs, oil, etc..

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING: You’ll need a can of premade buttercream frosting / vanilla icing and food dye to create the different colors of buttercream frosting.

WHITE STAR SPRINKLES: It’s easiest to use star sprinkles to add stars on these American Flag cupcakes. I simply picked out white stars from these patriotic sprinkles.

FOOD COLORING: You’ll need red and blue food coloring. I like to use gel food coloring but I have also used liquid food coloring for these cupcakes as well. Gel colors are a little brighter. You can get the variety pack or simply buy the red and blue food colors.

 

Four yellow cake cupcakes, 3 piping bags filled with red, white and blue frosting with star tips on the ends and a small bowl of white star sprinkles.

American Flag Cupcake Instructions

STEP 1: Use your cake mix to prepare cupcake batter and bake the cupcakes per the recipe on the box and let them cool completely.

STEP 2: Using 2 separate bowls, divide your vanilla frosting into thirds. Place the white frosting in a piping bag.

STEP 3: Add red food coloring to 1 bowl of frosting and blue food coloring into the other bowl of frosting. Stir in the food coloring. Continue adding color until you reach the desired shade of red and blue.

STEP 3: Add colored frosting to the piping bag with piping tip.

STEP 4: Use the blue frosting to pipe stars in a square in the top left portion of the cupcake to create the blue part of the flag.

Cupcake wth top left corner decorated with blue frosting.

 

STEP 5: Now to make the red stripes and white stripes, alternating between red frosting and white frosting. Start with the red and alternate with the white buttercream to make the flag stripes.

Cupcake with blue frosting in the upper left corner and two red and two white stripes on the upper right corner.

 

STEP 5: Add the white sprinkle stars on top in the blue section to create the stars from the flag. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes and serve.

Close up look at an American Flag Cupcake.

 

How to Store

Store your delicious American flag cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature on the counter for 2-3 days. Don’t refrigerate your cupcakes or they’ll go stale even faster.

Can You Change Out The Cake Flavor?

Absolutely, this easy cupcake recipe uses vanilla cupcakes, but you can trade that out using any box of cake mix you choose. Then frost with icing of your choice and add the flag design and you have a cute festive treat.

I think chocolate cupcakes would be great for this dessert recipe too.

You can even change it up a bit and make a gorgeous American flag cupcake cake. Instead of making one individual American flag cupcake, put all your cupcakes together in a rectangular shape and make the flag design across all the cupcakes.

Three American Flag Cupcakes on a white wood background.

 

Get Ready for your 4th of July Celebration!

I love to decorate for Independence Day! So, here are a few new finds that are perfect for all the patriotic holidays:

Decorate your front door with this gorgeous patriotic wreath.

Welcome your friends and family with this America door mat. It’s durable, festive and functional!

Spruce up the kitchen with these adorable patriotic kitchen towels.

 

Make these super easy cupcakes for Fourth of July or the next patriotic holiday party and get ready to wow your friends and family when you bring out these American flag cupcakes!

American Flag Cupcakes

Three American Flag Cupcakes on a white wood background.

These adorable American flag cupcakes are the perfect patriotic-themed dessert for any of the upcoming holidays. Made with your yellow cake mix and red, white, and blue buttercream icing, these American flag cupcakes are not only beautiful but delicious.

Ingredients

  • 1 box Yellow Cake Mix (plus additional ingredients per instructions on the box)
  • 1 container Buttercream Frosting (12 oz)
  • 2 Gel Food Coloring (Red and Blue)
  • 3 disposable Piping Bags
  • 3 Wilton 18 Star Tip
  • White Star Sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Bake cupcakes per recipe on the box and cool completely.
  2. Divide your buttercream frosting into thirds and place in 2 small bowls. Add the remaining 1/3 of the frosting (white) into a piping bag with star tip.
  3. Add red food coloring to 1 bowl of frosting and blue food coloring into the other bowl of frosting. Stir in the food coloring. Continue adding color until you reach the desired shade of red and blue.
  4. Add colored frosting to individual piping bag with star piping tip.
  5. Use the blue frosting to pipe star shapes in a square in the top left portion of the cupcake.
  6. Then alternate using the red and white frosting to pipe the stripes, beginning with red.
  7. Place white sprinkle stars in the blue section

Notes

See recipe posts for additional tips and variations.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 198Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 159mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 0gSugar: 10gProtein: 1g

Nutritional values are estimates and not exact.

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I love easy recipes and delicious desserts and happy to share with you my favorite recipes. My favorite places are tropical, family always comes first and I'm a cocktail enthusiast for sure!
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