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Mardi gras is next week, and these delicious colorful Mardi Gras themed cupcakes are the perfect way to celebrate. Fluffy vanilla cupcakes dyed purple, yellow and green for the traditional Mardi Gras colors. And topped with a creamy cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes are fun festive treat to make for the Mardi Gras season. You can sprinkle the cupcakes with purple, green or yellow sprinkles or colored sugar to keep with the Mardi gras theme.
The base for these cupcakes is a basic vanilla cupcake recipe. Although if you are short on time, you can use a premade vanilla cupcake mix and prepare it according to the package directions. Once the cupcake batter is made, divide the batter into three separate bowls. Mix green food coloring into one of the bowls, stirring until completely green. Then mix in yellow food coloring into another bowl until completely yellow. For the last bowl of cupcake batter, you can either use purple food coloring, or a mixture of red and blue food coloring, stirring until it is completely purple.
Place 1/3 of the green cake batter into 12 lined cupcake tins. Followed by 1/3 of the yellow cake batter and 1/3 of the purple cake batter. Bake until the cupcakes are cooked and clean in the center with a toothpick. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting with the cream cheese frosting. For the cream cheese frosting, in a large bowl using a mixer, beat all of the frosting ingredients together until it is creamy. Add in more milk as needed to thin the frosting. Pipe the frosting onto each cupcake and decorate with sprinkles or colored sugar.
Mardi Gras Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- purple, green and yellow food coloring
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoon milk, as needed to thin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder. In another large bowl, beat softened butter and sugar together until fluffy.
- Add in eggs, milk and vanilla extract, beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture in two additions, beating after each addition until it is fully incorporated.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between three bowls. Mix yellow food coloring into one of the bowls, green food coloring into another bowl, and purple food coloring into the last bowl.
- Fill 1/3 of the cupcake liners with the purple cake batter, 1/3 of the green cake batter and 1/3 of the yellow cake batter. Bake for 17-20 minutes. Let cool completely.
- For the cream cheese frosting, in a large bowl using either a hand or stand mixer, beat softened butter and cream cheese together until creamy. Add in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time until all of the powdered sugar in incorporated.
- Add in vanilla extract and milk as needed to thin. Frost and decorate cooled cupcakes. Store in the refrigerator until serving or for up to one week.