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.
Questions & Reviews
Just made these cupcakes today and they were wonderful. I like how the sour cream makes them really moist. And I made the frosting and it was sooo good! Love your website!
Thank you! I already went out and got everything! I can't wait to make them… we are having a huge carnival party, and these are going to go perfectly with everything!
Stacia- you should actually be able to find most of that stuff in the baking isle of a normal grocery store. Grocery stores don't usually carry Wilton gel colors, but there's another brand (betty crocker I think?) that makes a small pack sold at grocery stores. I found these specific cupcake liners, candles, and sprinkles at Walmart. If you're having trouble finding stuff, check a craft store that carries baking supplies. Good luck!
I want to make these for my daughters 3rd birthday in a month, but I can't find those sprinkles or cupcake liners, or food coloring gel anywhere! Can you tell me where you got that stuff? I absolutely LOVE how these look, and I'd like to get my to look as close as I can to what you did. Thanks!
Thank you for this recipe! I…er, my kids were so giddy with excitement when they saw what I was doing. The hardest part is that we are holding out on frosting and eating them for another couple of days. I included it in a recent post, my pics are nowhere near the gorgeousness of yours, neither were the cupcakes. Thanks again!
http://champagnewishesandcoupondreams.blogspot.com/2009/08/cupcakes-menus.html
I made jumbo versions of these for a bake sale, and they were a hit! They sold faaaast! Thanks 🙂
http://fuzzykoalacakecompany.blogspot.com/2009/08/bake-sale-tip-colorful-items-sell.html
A.W.E.S.O.M.E.!
I can't wait to share this recipe with my readers.
nicole you can also use koolaid instead of food coloring then nothing special to buy but if use koolaid use sugar free and when u seperate to equal parts #depends on how many colors u want use one pack of sugar free koolaid and 3TBSP sugar to each color and u can use a reg white cake mix per directions on the mix if ur kids like sour things use less sugar gives a lil kick but still very good just another idea
We made these yesterday & they were a huge hit with the kids. They loved helping me make them, too.
these are gorgeous! thanks so much for the idea.