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Bright Swirl Rainbow Cupcakes are soft vanilla cupcakes layered with vibrant food colors and topped with creamy buttercream frosting.
Easy Bright Swirl Rainbow Cupcakes with Layered Colors and Homemade Buttercream
Fluffy Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes with Bold Food Color Layers
Why You Will Love and Enjoy Bright Swirl Rainbow Cupcakes
- They’re soft, fluffy, and surprisingly simple to layer
- The bright colors make them perfect for birthdays and parties
- Classic vanilla buttercream keeps them sweet and balanced
Bright Swirl Rainbow Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings depending on size 1x
- Category: Cake Cupcakes Cookies and Tarts
- Method: Baking
Description
These Bright Swirl Rainbow Cupcakes are soft, fluffy, and full of happy color in every bite. They look fancy, but they’re way easier than you’d think.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter, slightly cooled
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Red, yellow, green, and blue food colourings
Quick Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 3 tbsp milk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 to 3 cups icing sugar, sifted
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180 °C).
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. I don’t skip liners here because the colors stay prettier and nothing sticks.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup cake flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. Set that aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk 1/2 cup sugar and 2 large eggs for about 1 minute until slightly pale and smooth.
- Add 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or melted butter), 1/2 cup buttermilk, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Whisk until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently stir just until combined. Don’t overmix. A few tiny lumps are fine.
- Overmixing makes cupcakes dense, and we want them soft and fluffy.
- Divide the batter evenly into 5 small bowls. Each bowl should have just over 1/3 cup, roughly 6 tbsp per bowl.
- Tint each bowl with food colouring. Add about 1/2 tsp colouring to each bowl and mix well so there are no streaks.
- You’ll need to mix red and yellow together to make orange. Add a little at a time until you get bright, bold colors. Pale batter bakes up lighter than you think.
- Using small spoons or a small cookie scoop, layer the batter into the lined muffin cups.
- Start with blue, then green, then yellow, then orange, and finish with red.
- Add about 1 tbsp of each color per layer. Don’t spread the batter. It will level out on its own as it bakes.
- Fill each liner about 2/3 full. If they’re too full, they’ll dome and spill over.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- The tops should spring back lightly when touched.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. If they’re even slightly warm, the buttercream will melt.
Quick Buttercream Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup room temperature butter until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add 3 tbsp milk and 1 tsp vanilla extract, and mix again.
- Gradually beat in 2 1/2 to 3 cups sifted icing sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, until the frosting is thick and spreadable.
- If it’s too thick, add a splash of milk. If it’s too soft, add a little more icing sugar.
- Beat for another 1 to 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Pipe or spread onto completely cooled cupcakes.
- Add sprinkles if you’re feeling extra.
Notes
Created, prepared, tried, and tested Caz
If you love a dessert that surprises people, these are worth sharing with someone who needs a little color in their kitchen.
Bright Swirl Rainbow Cupcakes offer the perfect mix of soft vanilla flavor and bold, cheerful color. They feel festive the second they are sliced open, yet the steps stay simple and manageable. Anyone looking to add fun and brightness to a celebration will appreciate how easy they are to bake and how quickly they disappear from the table.
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