36 Great Cupcake Recipes for Your Next Party
Cupcakes are a blast. They’re easy to make, easy to transport and serve, and they’re delicious. These cupcake recipes are great to have on hand the next time you need something cute and creative.
They make awesome gifts and great last minute treats for a kid’s homeroom or the office. For more decorating inspiration for these little beauties, check out some lovely cake decorating ideas!
And we also have plenty more easy cake recipes, many of which can be made into cupcakes.
Tips for Baking Perfect Cupcakes Every Time
Cupcakes are easy, but there are a few tricks that make them turn out bakery-level good. Here are some tried-and-true tips:
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Let your eggs, butter, and milk sit out for 30 minutes before mixing. Cold ingredients don’t blend as smoothly and can mess with the texture.
- Don’t Overmix: Once you add the dry ingredients, mix just until combined. Overmixing leads to tough cupcakes.
- Fill the Liners Right: Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Too much batter and they’ll overflow; too little and you’ll get short, sad cupcakes.
- Rotate the Pan: Ovens have hot spots. Rotate your cupcake pan halfway through baking for even results.
- Check Early: Start checking for doneness a couple of minutes before the recipe says. Insert a toothpick in the center – if it comes out clean or with a few crumbs, you’re good.
Frosting: The Fun Part
Frosting is one of the best parts of cupcakes! Whether you’re going classic or getting wild, here’s how to make it awesome:
Buttercream Basics
Buttercream is the go-to and it comes together in minutes. All you need is butter, powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, and a splash of vanilla. Want chocolate? Toss in some cocoa powder. Need something tangy? Add a little cream cheese.
Piping 101
For pro-looking cupcakes, use a piping bag with a big tip (like a star or round). If you don’t have one, snip the corner off a zip-top bag. Squeeze from the top and swirl in circles starting at the outside edge.
Easy Decorations
No time for fancy stuff? Try these:
- Sprinkles (rainbow, chocolate, themed – you name it)
- Mini chocolate chips
- Sliced fruit or berries
- Chopped nuts
- Crushed cookies or cereal
You can even drizzle with caramel or chocolate sauce if you’re feeling extra.
Cupcake Fillings: Secret Surprise Inside!
Filled cupcakes are always a hit. Here’s how to do it:
- After the cupcakes cool, use a small knife or apple corer to cut out the center (don’t go all the way to the bottom).
- Spoon in your filling – try jam, lemon curd, pudding, whipped cream, Nutella, or even peanut butter.
- Pop the top back on and frost as usual. No one will guess what’s inside until they bite in!
NOTE: this will sound like common sense, but don’t put trinkets in them. Kids can break a tooth on those.
Cupcakes for Every Season
Cupcakes fit every holiday or season – you just have to pick the right flavor or decoration.
Spring & Summer
- Lemon or strawberry cupcakes with pastel sprinkles
- Flower-shaped piping or edible flowers on top
- Fresh berries for color and taste
Fall
- Pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
- Apple cinnamon cupcakes with caramel drizzle
- Maple pecan cupcakes
Winter & Holidays
- Peppermint chocolate cupcakes
- Red velvet with white frosting and crushed candy canes
- Gingerbread cupcakes with tiny gingerbread men toppers
Cupcakes for Special Diets
Nobody should miss out on cupcakes! Here’s how to bake for everyone:
Gluten-Free
Most grocery stores carry gluten-free flour blends that swap in for regular flour pretty well. Just be sure to check your other ingredients (like baking powder) for hidden gluten.
Vegan
Replace eggs with flaxseed meal (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons water = 1 egg). Use plant-based milk and vegan butter. Vegan cupcakes can be just as fluffy and tasty as regular ones!
Nut-Free
Always check your labels, especially on things like chocolate chips and sprinkles. Use sunflower seed butter if you need a nutty flavor.
Dairy-Free
Swap out milk for almond, oat, or soy milk. Use dairy-free margarine or coconut oil instead of butter.
Kid-Friendly Cupcake Ideas
Kids love cupcakes because they’re cute and easy to eat. Make it even more fun:
- Try animal faces using candy eyes and colored frosting
- Let kids decorate their own with bowls of toppings and frosting bags
- Make mini cupcakes for small hands
- Add a surprise in the middle – think gummy bears or mini M&Ms
Cupcake Recipes
Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes Recipe
These moist chocolate cupcakes are filled with homemade bourbon salted caramel, then topped with caramel buttercream, and drizzled with more chocolate and caramel!
Gin and Tonic Cupcakes
Fun and easy recipe that gives you light, soft sponge cake infused with gin. It's soaked in a sugar syrup of lime, gin and, and topped with creamy gin-infused butter icing.
Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe
For a rich, authentic Southern treat, use our Red Velvet Cake recipe and simply pour your batter into cupcake pans instead of a cake pan, and voila.
Sundae Cupcakes
These sundae cupcakes are great to celebrate a birthday party, Summer party, or anytime of year. Moist vanilla cupcakes topped with a buttercream frosting and chocolate sauce for a fun cupcake idea that everyone will love.
Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes
Best chocolate cheesecake cupcakes! These black bottom cupcakes have moist chocolate cake filled with chocolate chip cheesecake filling.
Buttermilk Chocolate Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream Icing (Tutorial)
Buttermilk Chocolate Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream Icing are not only delicious, but it's easy to make them look professional, too.
Beer and Sauerkraut Cupcakes Recipe
Sounds weird, tastes great!! This unusual chocolate cupcake is so, so good. The cocoa, beer, and sauerkraut combination makes for an exquisite pairing you have simply must try! Easy to make, this beer cupcake recipe is unique and fabulous.
Black Forest Cupcakes
These Black Forest Cupcakes are made with a doctored chocolate cake mix then filled with cherry filling and topped with whipped vanilla cream frosting for a delightfully sweet treat perfect for any occasion!
Tiramisu Cupcakes
These easy Tiramisu cupcakes are a must-try for coffee and tiramisu lovers! Coffee soaked melt in your mouth cupcakes with creamy mascarpone frosting on top dusted with cocoa powder.
Pina Colada Cupcakes
These little pineapple and coconut cupcakes taste like summer and sunshine! The cupcake is moist and tender and the frosting is ohh soo good! The perfect non-alcoholic pina colada dessert!
Fluffy Matcha Cupcakes [Video]
These matcha cupcakes are tender and fluffy! They're topped with a silky white chocolate frosting! Enjoy this super delicious matcha dessert while also enjoying the nutritional benefits of matcha green tea!
Kahlua Cupcakes
Kahlua Cupcakes are a rich and decadent dessert to serve for any special occasion. Chocolate Cupcakes filled with Kahlua ganache and topped with chocolate Kahlua buttercream frosting.
Cardamom Cupcakes
Cardamom is often referred to as the "Queen of spices". Cardamom cupcakes are the "Queen of cupcakes". Easy, surprising and so tasty!
The Best Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes (Gluten-Free!)
These vegan chocolate cupcakes are gluten free and dairy free but you'd never know! They're perfectly chocolate-y, delicious and moist, and can be ready in less than 30 minutes!
Carrot Cake Cupcakes With Pineapple (Small Batch)
This recipe for small batch Carrot Cake Cupcakes with pineapple, coconut, walnuts, and raisins is a super moist carrot cake from scratch decorated with homemade cream cheese frosting.
Funfetti Cupcakes
Delicious and fun, these funfetti cupcakes are the perfect easy dessert!
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Do you like the sweet, yet tangy, cinnamon taste of snickerdoodles? Then you will love these snickerdoodle cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. They are soft and moist with a subtle tangy flavor that is unique to the namesake cookie. The rich frosting on top truly complements the cupcake!
Cream Soda Cupcakes Recipe
If you're a fan of cream soda, you're going to crave and devour this Cream Soda Cupcakes Recipe! They're the perfect weekend snack that will have everyone wanting more! When it comes to making a cupcake recipe made with cream soda, this is the one.
Ube Cupcakes Recipe (with video and step-by-step photos)
Ube cupcakes are little ube cakes packed with big ube flavour. Soft, dense and just the right amount of sweet. Top with ube whipped cream frosting and sprinkle with toasted shredded coconut for the ultimate Filipino treat.
Chocolate Financiers | Chocolate Browned Butter Cakes
Snickers Stuffed Cupcakes
The deliciously rich and moist chocolate cupcakes are stuffed with Snickers bar, then topped with a Snickers Caramel Frosting and some chopped peanuts. The perfect treat any time of the day!
Lucky Charms Cupcakes
There is nothing better than Lucky Charms Cupcakes. They are moist, delicious, and full of lucky charms marshmallows. They are the perfect treat to enjoy for St. Patrick's Day or just because!
Eggless Chocolate Cupcakes
This recipe uses any milk of choice and a small amount of any kind of
vinegar to give the lift and rise that an egg would normally provide. If
you have a little one with an egg allergy, this one is for
you!
1 Hour Buttermilk Caramel Cupcake Recipe
These are easy, crowd-pleasing, done-in-an-hour, cupcakes perfect for parties, cookouts, bake sales, and afternoon cravings.
Cinnamon Apple Cupcakes With Salted Caramel Frosting
This recipe is made with a boxed spiced cake mix, apples, apple sauce, cinnamon and pecans. The delicious frosting is made with cream cheese and salted caramel sauce from a jar.
Red White and Blue Cupcakes
An easy from scratch recipe for vanilla cupcakes. Topped with a homemade buttercream frosting, decorated with red white and blue stripes and topped with a cherry, they are a perfect Memorial Day dessert or fourth of July dessert!
Easter Egg Coconut Cupcakes
Easter Egg Coconut Cupcakes are topped with a homemade coconut buttercream frosting decorated with shredded coconut and malted milk robin egg candy.
Honey Joys - Cornflake Cupcakes
A classic Australian kids party treat made from Corn Flakes, so simple and easy to make. All you need is 4 ingredients!
Lemon Poppy Seed Cup Cakes
These easy Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes from scratch are beautiful, flavorful, and moist. They're topped with a sweet lemon icing that's the perfect final touch.
Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream
Coconut cupcakes are made with desiccated coconut and coconut milk. The soft coconut buttercream frosting is garnished with toasted coconut!
How to Make Flower Cupcakes (Easy Steps)
Flower cupcakes in the form of carnations, camellias and hydrangeas really set the mood for spring. Lovely for bridal showers or many other occasions!
Devil's Food Cupcakes Recipe
These devil's food cupcakes are moist, deep chocolate perfection. These cupcakes are sweet enough for children but dark and rich enough for adults to enjoy. Make a batch of these decadent devil's food cupcakes tonight!
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes encompass raspberry filling inside of a vanilla cupcake that's then covered in creamy peanut butter frosting and peanuts! It tastes just like a PB&J Sandwich!
The BEST Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes (VIDEO)
This easy recipe for moist homemade Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes is going to become your new favorite! Flavorful vanilla cupcakes with a simple cream cheese frosting and a yummy, fruity strawberry crunch topping. The highlight of these Strawberry cupcakes is the delicious strawberry shortcake crunch that adds the most amazing texture and flavor to the cupcakes!
Gluten-Free Mint Chocolate Cupcakes (Vegan, Allergy-Free)
Rich chocolate combined with sweet, minty freshness! These Gluten-Free Mint Chocolate Cupcakes are vegan, allergy-free, and a perfect way to take your chocolate cupcake craving up a notch! Homemade chocolate cupcakes topped with a naturally green, minty, & dairy-free buttercream frosting with a dash of chocolate sprinkles!
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