Get ready to sham-rock your taste buds with these festive St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes, bursting with rich vanilla flavor and topped with cream cheese frosting!
Looking for a simple yet delicious way to add a touch of St. Patrick’s Day to your dessert spread? Look no further than these green vanilla cupcakes with cream cheese frosting! The cupcakes are made with a classic vanilla cake recipe but with the addition of green food coloring to give them a festive twist. The cream cheese frosting is sweet and tangy and pairs perfectly with the light, fluffy texture of the cupcakes. To finish off the St. Patrick’s Day theme, the cupcakes are adorned with green and gold sprinkles for a touch of sparkle and fun. These cupcakes will surely bring a smile to your face and get you in the spirit of the holiday!
How to Make Green Velvet St. Patricks Day Cupcakes
Ingredients for Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cups flour (we used gluten-free)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ teaspoon plus ¼ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
- ½ cup buttermilk
- Green gel food coloring
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- *to save time, use a package of Organic Vanilla Frosting*
Toppings
- festive green and gold sprinkles
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a standard muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and baking soda. In the bowl of an electric mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, beat ½ cup butter with the sugar on medium-high speed for 5 minutes. Scape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in 1 tablespoon of vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Turn down the mixer to medium, add ¹/₃ of the flour mixture, then half the buttermilk, another third of the flour mixture, the rest of the buttermilk, and finally, the rest of the flour. Add enough food coloring to get a vibrant green. Give the batter a final mix by hand with a spatula.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin tins (an ice cream scoop works well for this). Bake for 18–20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- For the frosting, cream the remaining ½ cup butter, ¼ teaspoon salt, and cream cheese. Beat on medium-high speed until creamy. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat until thoroughly combined.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes generously and decorate them with sprinkles.
Green Velvet St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes
Get ready to sham-rock your taste buds with these festive St. Patrick's Day cupcakes, bursting with rich vanilla flavor and topped with cream cheese frosting!
Equipment
- Electric Mixer (hand mixer will work too)
- muffin tin
- cupcake liners
- spatula
- mixing bowls
- Wire Rack
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
- 1¼ cup flour of choice (we used gluten-free)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½+¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (room temp) (divided)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (room temp)
- 1 tbps + 1 tsp vanilla extract (divided)
- ½ cup buttermilk
- green gel food coloring
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz. Cream Cheese (room temp)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Toppings
- Festive Sprinkles
Instructions
Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a standard muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ½teaspoon salt, and baking soda.In the bowl of an electric mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, beat ½ cup butter with the sugar on medium-high speed for 5 minutes. Scape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in 1 tablespoon of vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Turn down the mixer to medium, add ¹/₃ of the flour mixture, then half the buttermilk, another third of the flour mixture, the rest of the buttermilk, and finally, the rest of the flour. Add enough food coloring to get a vibrant green. Give the batter a final mix by hand with a spatula.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin tins (an ice cream scoop works well for this). Bake for 18–20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- For the frosting, cream together the remaining ½ cup butter,¼ teaspoon salt, and cream cheese. Beat on medium-high speed until creamy. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat until completely combined.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes generously and decorate them with sprinkles.
