4th of July Desserts Solved: Red Velvet, White and Blue Mini Cupcakes

These mini cupcakes are bite sized tasty treats! No need for large oversize desserts that no one eats. Topped with blueberries, strawberries and pretty sprinkles they are party ready.

Ally Jane Grossan   |  

Sep 10, 2024

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This fun combination of deep red velvet cake with bright white icing, blueberries and blue sprinkles makes these mini cupcakes one of the most festive 4th of July desserts. 

Serve these mini cupcakes with our easy to make Red, White and Blue Sangria recipe. Both are delicious and so festive. 

What makes a red velvet cake a red velvet cake? Well, for starters red food coloring (look for a natural red food coloring at your local market or online) but also the essential ingredients of buttermilk and vinegar. The buttermilk adds subtle flavor and bounce to the cake and the vinegar is essential to enhance the red color. You can of course simply buy red velvet cake mix or just use your favorite chocolate cake batter recipe.

Cut out some of the sugar by replacing the sugar icing with fresh whipped cream which is so much lighter than traditional cupcake icing. You can even add a drop of all-natural red or blue food coloring to the heavy cream before beating.

Make sure to buy mini cupcake wrappers in blue or silver. In a pinch you can bake the cupcakes directly in the mini muffin tin but know that they are difficult to remove and you’ll need to heavily grease the pan.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cups cake flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2¼ cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature, 8 tablespoons
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Natural red liquid or gel food coloring about 2 tablespoons
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 48 mini cupcake wrappers

For the tops:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ pint blueberries
• ¼ cup blue sugar sprinkles
• 1 cup strawberries

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a paper wrapper in each cupcake slot of the mini muffin tin.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl: flour, baking soda, cake flour, cocoa powder and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with a handheld mixer. Beat for 3 minutes, then add the vegetable oil and beat for another minute. Add the eggs, vinegar and 2 tablespoons of food coloring and beat for one more minute. Make sure the color is a deep red and add more coloring as needed. Then add the flour mixture to the batter about 1 cup at a time. Try not to over mix.
4. Use a tablespoon to scoop the mixture into the lined tin. Fill each cup about ⅔ of the way and bake for 16 minutes. Remove from oven and set to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then repeat until you have used all the batter.
5. To make the whipped cream, use the same handheld mixer to beat the heavy cream on high in a large chilled metal bowl for about 5 minutes. Add the sugar as soon as peaks start to form. Chill the whipped cream until you are ready to use it. Use a butter knife to frost the cupcakes and add blueberries, sprinkles and thinly sliced strawberries to decorate.