These are my favorite EASY Rainbow Cupcakes! Start with a box mix for the cupcake but make a homemade marshmallow buttercream frosting and FOUR different ideas for topping!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cupcake, rainbow
Prep Time 30minutes
Cook Time 20minutes
Total Time 50minutes
Servings 12cupcakes
Calories 128kcal
Author Dorothy Kern
Cost $9
Ingredients
For the Rainbow Cupcakes
115 ounce boxwhite cake mix, prepared with eggs, oil, and water called for on the box
Food coloring(red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple (gel food coloring works best for vibrant colors)
Marshmallow Buttercream
1/2cupunsalted buttersoftened
17 ounce jarmarshmallow creme
1 1/2cups powdered sugar
1teaspoonvanilla
Pinchsalt
For the Cupcake Toppers
24white chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cupsor
12Airheads Extremescut in half, or
rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes
Mix the cake batter according to the recipe or box directions. Line your muffin tins with cupcake liners.
Divide your batter evenly among six bowls. Add food coloring to each bowl, one for each color of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple). Stir to combine.
You are going to layer the cupcakes into the liners in a reverse rainbow, so the purple is on the bottom and the red is on the top. To make this easier to do, place each color in a separate quart-sized Ziploc bag. Seal the bag almost all the way, leaving about 1/2" open for air to escape. Snip off a tiny corner and place a small amount in each cupcake liner, starting with purple (use just enough to cover the bottom of the liner). Repeat with the remaining colors in this order: blue, green, yellow, orange, red.
Bake according to box directions. Let cool completely.
Make the frosting
Beat butter and marshmallow creme together until smooth, then mix in powdered sugar, vanilla and salt. Frost cupcakes as desired (I like using a 1M tip).
Topping the cupcakes
Leave plain with the frosting.
Add rainbow sprinkles.
Place an Airhead Extreme in a rainbow arch on top.
Place a white chocolate peanut butter cup on top, frost it with frosting and sprinkle with sprinkles (like it's a mini cupcake ton top).
Store cupcakes in refrigerator to set frosting (it's a bit fluffy and will collapse if it's not set).