These firework cupcakes are so pretty! Best of all, they’re really simple to make! Put a spark in your Independence Day this year with these 4th of July themed cupcakes.
Firework Cupcakes
Looking for the perfect dessert to bring to your 4th of July get together? These red, white and blue firework cupcakes are perfect! They’re fun, easy and they look really impressive!
We’re going to show you exactly how to decorate these 4th of July cupcakes. But you won’t find a cupcake recipe here. You can use your favorite cupcake recipe or use boxed cake mix like we did. Everyone will be dazzled by your beautiful and festive dessert!
Even a beginner can ice these cupcakes – no special skills required! All you need is the right icing tip (more on that below), and it’s surprisingly easy to make your cupcakes look like bright, little bursts of fireworks!
Check out our Firework Cupcake video tutorial:
*Note: Scroll down for the step-by-step photo tutorial.
Looking for more fun 4th of July ideas? Here’s some of our favorites:
Here’s what you’ll need:
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The full printable instructions are at the end of this post, but here’s a list of products on Amazon that are similar to the supplies we used:
- Vanilla cupcakes
- Vanilla frosting
- Piping bags
- Gel food coloring
- Wilton #233 grass tip
- Piping coupler
What icing tip do I need?
Wilton’s 233 grass icing tip will give you the long stringy look of the fireworks. This tip is usually used to make grass on cakes, but it also makes wonderful fireworks, monsters and hair.
What food coloring should I use?
We recommend using gel food coloring because you can use a small amount to get really bright colors.
Liquid food coloring will work, but you need to use A LOT to get the same colors, and even then, sometimes you just can’t get the colors quite as vivid. Keep in mind that if you’re using tons of liquid food coloring it might give the icing a strange aftertaste.
Do I need to use a coupler in my icing bag?
Technically no, you don’t need the coupler, but we highly recommend it. Especially if you have to buy the icing tip and icing bags anyway.
If you choose not to use the coupler you will need to put the metal tip right into the piping bag before adding frosting to the bag. This works perfectly fine, except if you miss something with a certain icing color, there’s no going back – you have to destroy the icing bag to move the icing tip to the next icing color.
The couplers let you easily screw off the icing tip and switch it to the next color. That way, if you need to do some touch ups when you’re done, you can easily attach it to another color of icing bag without cutting open the bag.
How should I store my fireworks cupcakes?
You should store your fireworks cupcakes in an air tight container. Try to keep the cupcakes separated so the icing isn’t touching the icing on the cupcake next to it. We stored ours right on the counter and covered one dozen under a cake cover and the other dozen under the cover of a cake carrier.
If you’re planning to take your cupcakes somewhere, it might be worth getting a cupcake carrier that holds 24 cupcakes.
They will last two to three days at room temperature. If you’d like the cupcakes to last longer, you can put them in the fridge, where they will last three to five days. For the best texture, simply bring them back to room temperature before eating.
How to Decorate Firework Cupcakes
Materials:
- 24 cupcakes (baked and cooled)
- 3 tubs vanilla frosting
- Gel food coloring (blue and red)
Instructions:
Step 1: Prepare frosting
- Scoop one tub of frosting into a bowl. Scoop another tub of icing into a second bowl.
- Add a small amount of blue gel food coloring to one bowl and mix well. Add more food coloring and stir until you get the color you want.
- Repeat with red food coloring in the second bowl to make the red icing.
- Cut off the tip of the piping bag (if using disposable).
- Insert one piece of the coupler into the tip of the piping bag. Insert the icing tip into the other piece of the coupler, then screw it in place onto the piece on the piping bag.
- Fill your piping bag with the blue frosting. Squeeze out any air at the open end of the bag and tightly twist the bag closed.Repeat with the red and white frosting bags.
Step 2: Frost cupcakes
- Start by piping the blue frosting around the outside edge of the cupcake. Apply pressure to the piping bag. Slowly release pressure on the piping bag while simultaneously pulling the piping bag away from the cupcake. This allows the frosting to form long strings.The longer you keep applying pressure and pulling, the longer the frosting strings will be.
- Create a second ring of blue frosting inside the first using the same technique.
- Remove the piping tip from the blue bag and clean it before attaching it to the bag with white frosting. Using the same technique, pipe a ring of white frosting inside the blue ring of frosting.
- Remove the tip from the white icing bag, clean it, and attach it to red icing bag. Now add a small ring of red icing in the centre of the cupcake with red, using the same technique once again.
- Your firework cupcake is complete!
Helpful Tip:
Have a blast this July 4th with these patriotic cupcakes! You can also change up the colours of the fireworks for other holidays, like New Years Eve, or any other celebration.
To make the fireworks experience even more complete, try sprinkling a bit of popping candy onto the cupcake before adding the frosting. The popping candy will surprise your guests (especially the kids) by giving an extra crackle when they bite into their cupcake!
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon |  Barnes and Noble |  Books- A- Million |  Indiebound |  Indigo |  Amazon Canada
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