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Easy Rainbow Cupcakes Recipe

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4 from 7 reviews

These Easy Rainbow Cupcakes are a fun and colorful treat perfect for any celebration. Made with a simple vanilla cake mix and instant pudding, these cupcakes are moist and fluffy. Vibrant gel food colorings create the rainbow effect, and a creamy homemade buttercream frosting topped with Airhead rainbow candy completes the look. Perfect for parties, kids, or anyone who loves a burst of color in their dessert!

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

  • 1 box white or vanilla cake mix
  • 1 box instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 6 gel food colorings (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)

Frosting Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream or milk
  • 3–4 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Decoration

  • Airhead rainbow candy or Rainbow strip candy, cut into 2-3 small rainbow pieces per strip

Instructions

  1. Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure it’s ready for baking your cupcakes evenly.
  2. Prepare the Cake Batter: Follow the instructions on the cake mix box along with the instant vanilla pudding mix, water, eggs, and vegetable oil, mixing until smooth to create a moist batter.
  3. Divide Batter into Portions: Separate the batter evenly into 6 bowls, one for each color of the rainbow.
  4. Add Food Coloring: Add gel food coloring to each bowl to create red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple batters for vibrant cupcakes.
  5. Prepare Muffin Tin: Place paper liners into a muffin tin, ready for the colorful batter.
  6. Fill Baking Cups: Spoon a teaspoon of each colored batter into the lined muffin cups carefully, avoiding swirling the batter for distinct rainbow layers.
  7. Bake the Cupcakes: Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, indicating they are fully cooked.
  8. Cool Completely: Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool fully before frosting to avoid melting the buttercream.
  9. Make Buttercream Frosting: Beat the unsalted butter until creamy, then gradually add confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream or milk, and vanilla extract. Continue mixing until the frosting is slightly stiff but soft enough to pipe easily.
  10. Pipe Frosting and Decorate: Cut the tip off your piping bag and pipe cloud-like dots of frosting on each cupcake. Immediately top each with a piece of Airhead rainbow candy cut to size to resemble a rainbow.

Notes

  • Do not swirl the batter when adding different colors to keep the layers vibrant and distinct.
  • You can substitute heavy cream with milk in the frosting for a lighter texture.
  • Cut the rainbow candy into smaller pieces so that 2-3 rainbows can be made from one strip.
  • Use gel food coloring for more vivid colors and better control over intensity.
  • Ensure cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting to prevent the buttercream from melting.

Find it online: https://lauracooks.com/easy-rainbow-cupcakes-recipe/