Looking for festive 4th of July Cupcakes? You found them! These patriotic cupcakes have a delightful red, white, and blue swirl and are topped with Independence Day sprinkles.

Thank you to my grocery partner Kroger DFW for supporting The Rose Table and this recipe! It’s partnerships like this that keep The Rose Table going. 

How cute is this swirl? It’s a labor of love but so festive for a holiday! You could do this same method for Christmas, Halloween, or any color combination.

I used almond extract for the cupcakes here and vanilla for the frosting (which basically tastes like wedding cake!) but you can absolutely do vanilla for the whole recipe! Just use 1 Tbsp vanilla instead of 1/2 Tbsp almond extract in the batter.

4th of July Cupcakes

2 cups granulated sugar
3 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, soft
1 1/4 cups milk, at room temperature
1/2 Tbsp almond extract
4 large eggs
Vanilla frosting, recipe follows

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two muffin tins with festive cupcake liners and lightly spray with nonstick spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add butter to the mixer and beat until it looks sandy.
4. Combine the milk and almond extract and add to the mixer. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Don’t forget to scrape the bowl as you go!
5. Crack eggs into a bowl. This way, you won’t accidentally get egg shells in your cake batter. With the mixer running on low, add eggs one at a time. Make sure each is incorporated before adding the next.
6. Spoon two cups of batter into two small bowls (one cup per bowl) and tint reserved batter desired shade of red and blue.
7. Spoon one tablespoon of white batter into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Spoon scant tablespoon each red and blue batter on opposite sides of each cupcake. Spoon one more half tablespoon of white batter on top and use a toothpick to swirl the colors together. Be careful – you don’t want to mix the colors, just swirl them!
8. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Do NOT overbake. Set the time for earlier and check them every few minutes until the toothpick is clean.
9. Remove tins from oven and place on racks. Cool five minutes, remove from pan, and cool completely. Frost as desired with vanilla frosting and top with patriotic sprinkles.

Vanilla Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 Tbsp milk

1. Beat butter with electric mixer until nice and fluffy. Beat in two cups of powdered sugar until incorporated, then add vanilla extract.
2. Beat in two more cups of powdered sugar until combined. Add a tablespoon of milk and final cup of powdered sugar. Beat in another tablespoon of milk. Add more powdered sugar or milk as needed to reach your desired consistency.