My Mom is a really creative woman. I didn’t realize it until I grew up and became a mother myself. Now that I look back on the birthday parties she threw and the incredible cakes she created, I’m really amazed at the things she came up with back in the day when you couldn’t run to Target or Walmart and basically buy a party in a bag. Halloween costumes were no exception. We never, ever had store-bought costumes growing up. My Mom was a great seamstress and her creativity had no boundaries. I look at old family pictures and I love how she took simple ideas and turned them into something fun. Take me for example, around age 5:
That my friends, is a rainbow. And I thought it was the coolest costume ever. I was obsessed with this chick, and if you look at every picture I ever created out of any sort of art media between the ages of 3 and 9, it undoubtedly included 3 things: hearts, flowers, and rainbows. To this day, I still get a little bit giddy inside when I see all of those colors together. Something about rainbows just makes me happy.
So it’s no wonder these cupcakes make me smile. Every time :)
Gel food colors work especially well for this. Gel color adds a ton of color with a small amount of dye. You can find gel colors at craft stores like Michaels and Roberts, and in the cake decorating isle of Walmart. If using red, make sure to get the one that says “No Taste”
Divide your batter and tint each one
Then layer it by color into the cupcake papers. (See my tips in the recipe for easy layering). Sometimes I do red on top and sometimes I do the reverse so blue is on top.
Bake them up
And cool them on a rack before frosting.
Then you can frost and decorate to your heart’s desire!
The best part comes when you peel off that paper. Use white liners to show off the colors, or foil or dark liners to make it a surprise!
Even better is taking the first bite and seeing the inside:
Try them with the color of your favorite sports team, or your kids’ school colors. They’re sure to be a hit!
Colorburst Cupcakes
1 white cake mix
2 eggs
1 C yogurt (any smooth textured fruit flavor is fine!) or sour cream
1/2 C milk
1/3 C vegetable oil
Combine all ingredients until incorporated (about 30 seconds). Scrape sides of bowl and then beat on med-high speed for 2 minutes.
Divide batter according to how many colors you are using. I used 5 colors and it worked out to a little over 1 cup for each color, but each cake brand will be slightly different.
Use food coloring to color batter to desired intensity.
To get a layered stripe like I used, you’ll want to put a spoonful of each color in the cupcake one at a time. The batter is thick, so it won’t spread on it’s own. A great tip is to set out a little bowl of water where you’re working. Dip your finger in the water and then gently spread the batter out. The water will make it so the batter doesn’t stick to your fingers.
Another tip is to use a measuring spoon and some water to measure out how many teaspoons/tablespoons are going to fit in your cupcake. Then divide that by how many colors you have so you know how much of each color to use for each cupcake. For my 5 colors, it worked out perfectly with 2 t of each color in each cupcake. So I put in 2 t of blue in the bottom of each cupcake and spread it out with my finger. Then I put in 2 t of green on top of that, then yellow, etc.
Bake them according to the package directions, until a toothpick comes out dry.
I topped mine with this frosting.
Appetizers
Beef
Sandwiches and Burgers
Beverages
Breads
Breakfast and Brunch
Condiments
Desserts
Pizza and Pasta
Pork
Poultry
Salads and Dressings
Seafood
Side Dishes and Vegetables
Soups and Stews
Candy Penguin Cupcakes
Cinnamon Bun Caramel Corn
Single Serving Pie in a Jar
wait, it’s got to matter what I add. I mean, I would only add if there was a benefit but this mix seems to have the same ingredients others substitute. I think I better stick with the box as I have limited time and one shot :). I like your initial idea but am afraid it will be too thick to get neatly in the jars.
[...] Cupcakes: Taste A Rainbow-Cupcakes Color Burst Cupcakes [...]
These look amazing! I am assuming that the yogurt is for moistness – is that ( or sour cream) a must ingredient?
You definitely want the yogurt–it’ll make the cupcakes delicious (and yep, it’s for moistness).
Have you ever baked this as a cake?
Yep, you can do it any way you like :)
I made cupcakes like this that were red white and blue for 4th of july
Amazing idea, my daughters 6th birthday is coming up in March and she would love these. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.
These are adorable! I plan on making these for my girls, however I will be using a gluten free cake mix (Betty Crocker) due to their allergies. The gluten free mix calls for different ingredient add ins than a normal cake mix. Is it safe to assume that I can just follow the cake recipe on the box and use the same assembling steps in this recipe?
Sorry for the simplicity of my question. I am very new to baking and even newer to gluten free baking. :)
I imagine that will be fine! :) Good luck!
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I wanted to have some sort of rainbow food for my GSA booth at my schools involvement fair next week… these look perfect! Can’t wait to try them out. Thanks so much!
How many cupcakes does this recipe make?
a few more than the yield listed on your box. So at least 2 dozen.
My riding instructor always makes me back cause I cut corners, few weeks back i made horse cookies. I think ill make these next :)
So I made these cupcakes twice, a practice round and then for the birthday party. The first batch didn’t seem to have any flavor, so with the second batch I used strawberry yogurt instead of vanilla and it was awesome.
happened to see the “rainbow cupcakes” (exactly like the picture) at a community garage/bake sale. Bought 1 just to see what it was like. wonderful colors. any child will love this. i will definitely be making these for Easter .
Thanks so much for the inspiration… did same sort of thing with cookies my 4yr old LOVED them turned out awesome
THANKS SO MUCH!!!!! For the inspiration…. I used same sort of idea for cookies my 4yr old said “FABULOUS mommy” he loved them thanks again my cookies looked so cute and colorful.
I just made these cupcakes for my daughter’s 2nd birthday and they were so yummy. I used strawberry flavored yogurt. I also tried the frosting and it was great and pretty easy to make. The layers on the cupcake were not so easy, but I’m not a perfectionist, so I wasn’t too picky! :-) Thanks so much for sharing.
I made these for my daughter’s 2nd birthday with a Sesame Street theme and they turned out amazing! The primary colors were perfect for the theme. Even the paper was pretty when you pulled it off! I think every single person at the party commented on them, and best of all, they tasted DELICIOUS! Thanks for the idea… (and the tips!)
I am making these tonight for my son’s 1st birthday tomorrow and am so excited!! My 7 year old can’t wait to help me make these. They look fantastic!
These rainbow cupcakes are really to “die” for.
Hi!! I am just wondering about the red dye..what i have on hand is the red that doesn’t say “no taste” should I just avoid using it all together :(? and thanks for posting this recipe we are trying to tomorrow for my daughters spring fair at school!!
It should be fine–red dye can sometimes have a weirdish taste, but I don’t think you’ll notice it since it’s only a small portion of the cupcakes.
hi sara! thanks so much for the inspiration. i made this today using a white cake mix and followed the instructions there but as you said pimped it so i did :D added yogurt and it was soooo soft! it doesnt tasted like it came out of the box!! and the frosting i simply used white chocolate frosting. its a flour frosting with white chocolate. got it from rosie of sweetapolita, here is the website: http://sweetapolita.com/2011/03/my-bakers-crush-baked-and-the-whiteout-cake/
so fun making this cake! cheers!
im loving this recipe, i want ti try it for my lil sisters school party, but i don’t know the baking temperature and time, could you please help me? thanks.
As noted in the recipe- bake them according to package directions.
[...] …then he happily dug in! (no there’s nothing wrong with that cupcake… it’s rainbow-colored for St. Patrick’s Day! I got the idea here.) [...]