Rainbow Cupcakes

These tasty and easy cake mix Rainbow Cupcakes are topped with a delicious whipped cream cheese frosting! Perfect for spring or summer parties!

This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links. Sweet Hazel Honey may receive a small commission for Amazon purchases made though these links at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Looking for more crafts, recipes, activities and other kid friendly ideas?

Follow me! Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe by email here!

CLICK TO PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER

It finally feels like spring here in Minnesota. These cute, colorful and delicious Rainbow Cupcakes are a perfect way to celebrate the sunshine and warm weather. 

These cupcakes are made from a boxed cake mix, but the amazing whipped cream cheese frosting is completely homemade. 

They're perfect for birthday parties, BBQ's or any spring or summer occasion. Because the cupcakes use a boxed mix, they're pretty fast to make. You can use any colors you love for this, or if you prefer, skip the food coloring, just use the white cake mix and decorate as directed.

These will disappear fast and are a hit with kids and adults!

Keep scrolling for tips, rainbow recipes and more!

Thanks so much for supporting a small business and visiting our family owned blog 💕

Shopping list:

• white cake mix plus ingredients on the back of box
• gel food coloring
• cream cheese
• powdered sugar
• vanilla extract
• heavy whipping cream
• miniature marshmallows
• airheads extremes rainbow berry candy

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for measurements and instructions!

Recipe tips:

• Refrigerate any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container for up to three days. This frosting recipe cannot be left out at room temperature.

More rainbow recipes you may like:

• Rainbow Sherbet Punch
• Rainbow Bundt Cake
• Rainbow Swirl Sugar Cookies 
• Rainbow Fruit Board
• M&M's Rainbow Sugar Cookies
• Rainbow Popsicles

Kitchen equipment and supplies you may need:

• Wilton Non-Stick Muffin Pan & Cupcake Pan
• Standard White Cupcake Liners
• Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Hand Mixer
• Disposable Piping Bags
• Pyrex 8-piece 100 Years Glass Mixing Bowl Set

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family did!

Yield 12 cupcakes

Author Sweet Hazel Honey

Prep time

20 Min

Cook time

20 Min

Total time

40 Min

Rainbow Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 - 16.25 ounce box of white cake mix plus ingredients on the back of box
• gel food coloring- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
• 72 miniature marshmallows
• 12 pieces of airheads extremes rainbow berry candy
• 12 white cupcake liners

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. Prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the box.
3. Divide the cake batter evenly between 6 different bowls.
4. To each bowl add gel food coloring- it must be gel color to get the vibrant cakes. Do one bowl red, one orange, one yellow, one green, one blue, one purple, or whatever color combination you like.
5. Stir the cake batter well to incorporate the colors and add additional color if needed.
6. Spoon the batter into a ziploc bag or a frosting piping bag. Cut off the tip of the bag to pipe the batter into the liners, beginning with the last color first, purple.
7. You want to make a flat surface of your layered colors, so I did this by going around the outside and then quickly filling in the center, making sure not to overload the batter in any certain spot. You want just a thin layer of each color so that they’ll all fit into the cupcake liners. Work backwards, starting with purple, then blue, green, yellow, orange, red.
8. Repeat this process for the remaining colors creating even layers of batter.
9. Bake the cupcakes according to the box directions.
10. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
11. To make the frosting, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together with an electric mixer until combined. Add vanilla and mix to combine.
12. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until it is fluffy and peaks begin to form.
13. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
14. Add frosting to a piping bag prepared with your favorite frosting tip.
15. Pipe the frosting onto your cupcakes.
16. Take your airheads rainbow candy, and trim about 1 inch off of each one with scissors or a knife.
17. Fold the rainbow candies and press them into your cupcake frosting.
18. Finish by adding 3 miniature marshmallows to the ends of both sides of your rainbows.

Notes

Refrigerate any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container for up to three days. This frosting recipe cannot be left out at room temperature.

Sweet Hazel Honey is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you try from this blog/website. You may not always have the same results I do due to variations in ingredients, humidity, altitude, cooking temperatures, typos, errors, omissions, or individual cooking abilities. 

You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful. I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. Each individual's dietary needs and restrictions are unique to the individual.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Around this time in blog history....

One year ago:

• Mermaid Water Bead Sensory Bin

Looking for more crafts, recipes, activities and ideas?

Follow me! Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe by email!