Name: Mardi Gras Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 (15.5 ounce) package yellow cake mix; 7 Tablespoons unsalted butter; 3/4 cup half and half; 3 large eggs; Purple, green, and yellow gel food coloring (See Tip 1); 1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 4 cups (16 ounces) confectioners' sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3 to 4 Tablespoons milk (See Tip 2)

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Laissez les bon temps rouler with these easy to make Mardi Gras Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting. Inside is a surprise that will delight even your most picky critic!

Ingredients

It’s been some time since I’ve made these show-stopper cupcakes. I used the following simple ingredients for the cupcakes: Boxed cake mix, unsalted butter, half and half, eggs, gel food coloring (Photo 1). For the frosting, I used unsalted butter, cinnamon, confectioners sugar’, vanilla extract, and milk (Photo 2).

Making the Mardi Gras Cupcakes

I prepared the cake mix according to the package directions, except for using half and half in place of the water.

Since this was for Mardi Gras, I wanted the cupcakes to have the traditional colors. Therefore, I divided the batter into thirds. I colored one-third purple, one-third green and the last one yellow. I used 5 drops of gel food coloring for each color.

Next, I transferred each of the colored batters to a disposable pastry bag. Then, I snipped off about 1/4-inch from the bottom of each one. I started filling the cupcake papers with the yellow, then the green, and finally the purple in the middle.

I knew from experience that each cupcake would be a bit different on the inside, which adds to the fun!

I baked the Mardi Gras cupcakes in a preheated 350° F oven for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, I removed the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

Making the Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

I beat the room temperature butter with my electric mixer until it was creamy. This took about a minute. Then, I added the cinnamon, and continued beating until the cinnamon was well combined.

Next, I added half of the sugar, and beat the mixture on high for several minutes. Then, I added a tablespoon of the milk and the vanilla, followed by another cup of sugar. I continued beating the frosting on high until it was light and fluffy.

Finally, I added another 2 tablespoons of milk and the remaining amount of sugar. I continued beating the frosting on high until it was light and fluffy, and of the proper piping consistency.

Decorating the Mardi Gras Cupcakes

I transferred the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (1M), and piped the frosting on each cupcake.

Finally, I finished each cupcake off with some purple, green, and yellow sprinkles.

I ended up with 18 delicious and adorable Mardi Gras cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting. Each one had a different combination of colors inside. What fun. Yum!

Chula’s Expert Tips

I purchased the gel food coloring at Hobby Lobby. If you can’t find gel food coloring, use paste food coloring that is more readily available. I would avoid using the liquid food coloring. Because of the quantity needed to achieve the desired color, it could impact the consistency of the batter.
Use the amount of milk necessary to achieve the desired consistency of the frosting.
Use more or less of the food coloring necessary to achieve the desired colors.
If you don’t have piping bags, you can use ziploc bags. With the ziploc bags, cut off about 1/4-inch from one of the corners.
If you don’t have the equipment to pipe the frosting, you can just frost the cupcakes as you normally would.

Other Mardi Gras Themed Sweets

Mardi Gras is a wonderful time to showcase some incredible sweets. Take a look at these – all are sure to produce a WOW factor!

Mardi Gras Macarons – Laizzez les bons temps rouler with these melt in your mouth macarons filled with a light and airy lemon buttercream.
Mardi Gras Praline Crunch – Praline Crunch is just in time for all of your Mardi Gras celebrations. If you like caramel corn, you’ll absolutely love Mardi Gras Praline Crunch.
Mardi Gras Cinnamon Roll King Cake – Did you know that you could produce an impressive king cake using cinnamon rolls? Well you can. I’ll show you how!
Mardi Gras Swirled Lemon Bark – This is fun to make and delicious to munch on.
Mardi Gras Lemon Bliss Bundt Cake – Brighten your Mardi Gras season with this rich and moist Lemon Bliss Bundt Cake. It feels like springtime, and tastes amazing under a layer of lemon glaze. Every piece is a surprise.
Mardi Gras King Cake – The King Cake is a quintessential confection that is decorated in Mardi Gras colors. Purple signifies justice; green denotes faith; and gold or yellow signifies power.
New Orleans Style Pain Perdu: Pain Perdu is French for “lost bread”, referring stale bread that would otherwise be disposed of. Pain Perdu, the New Orleans version of French toast, is generally made with stale French bread. The French bread is sliced thick, dipped in an egg custard, and fried in butter. It’s perfect for a Mardi Gras breakfast or brunch!
Pancake Day Pancakes: In the United Kingdom (UK), Pancake Day is synonymous with Shrove Tuesday, a.k.a. Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. It is viewed as the last opportunity to use up eggs and fats before the upcoming Lent season. What better way to use up these ingredients than with Pancakes?

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