These quick and easy St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes look like a pot of gold and taste absolutely delicious! Make them even easier by using your favorite chocolate cake recipe, store-bought frosting, and gold candies for the center!
Easy St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes
I’m pretty sure you would be the coolest mom ever if you brought these to your child’s classroom St. Patrick’s Day party (do they have those???). Almost as cool as if you made these cupcakes and played this roll a rainbow game!
I mean, how awesome would it be to see the kids take a bite and realize that there are actually gold coins inside.
Or you could even just take them to a St. Patrick’s Day party with your friends, really who doesn’t love a good surprise. And Reese’s Pieces, which is what I used to fill these with.
How to Make St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes
These cupcakes are super simple to make! All you’ll need to make them is:
- Your favorite chocolate cupcake mix (store bought mix is fine)
- Your favorite white frosting (either homemade or store bought)
- Black, blue, red, and yellow food coloring
- Yellow Reese’s Pieces (could also use yellow Skittles or any other candy)
- Cupcake corer (optional)
1 – Make your cupcakes.
Make the batter for your favorite cupcakes – store bought or homemade. Before you bake them, add a few drops of black food coloring to the batter to make them look like a black pot of gold.
Bake the cupcakes according to the recipe instructions and allow to cool once baked.
2 – Core your cupcakes.
Use a cupcake corer or just a knife and spoon to cut out the center middle of your cupcakes. Set aside the piece you cut out because you’ll want to save it to replace after you fill the cupcakes.
Just make sure you don’t cut all the way through to the bottom or your gold coins will fall out as soon as you add them into the cupcakes!
3 – Fill your cupcakes.
Add a spoon full of yellow Reese’s Pieces into each of the cupcakes then place the cut out piece back on top – cutting off a small piece of the cupcake if it doesn’t fit back in perfectly.
4 – Frost your cupcakes.
Split the frosting into three bowls and use food coloring to turn them into red, blue, and yellow frosting – one color frosting per bowl.
Place a piping tip into a large piping bag or into a gallon size ziploc bag (with one of the corners cut out for the tip) to get the bag prepped for frosting.
Next, spoon the frosting into a large piping bag or a gallon size ziploc bag, alternating each color as you go. It’s hard to explain but hopefully the image below will help show you what I mean.
Pick up the frosting bag and pipe frosting on top of each of the black cupcakes. Alternating the frosting colors ends up mixing the colors slightly and gives you a nice rainbow look for the frosting.
I did something similar for my Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty party ideas – simply made rainbow cupcakes with brighter, bolder colors instead of the standard red, blue, and yellow.
5 – Eat your cupcakes!
Your pot of gold St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes are done! Enjoy at room temperature for the best St. Patrick’s Day treat!
Need more rainbow treat ideas? These rainbow donuts or rainbow chocolate covered apples are some other favorites!
More St. Patrick’s Day Ideas
- St. Patrick’s Day Games
- St. Patrick’s Day Bingo
- St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt
- Rainbow donuts
- Roll a rainbow game
- Pot of gold game ideas
Don’t forget to pin these St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes for later.
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- black food coloring
- yellow Reese's pieces
- vanilla frosting
- red, blue, and yellow food coloring
Instructions
- Make the batter for your favorite cupcakes. Add a few drops of black food coloring to the batter.1 box chocolate cake mix, 1 cup water, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, black food coloring, 3 eggs
- Bake the cupcakes according to the recipe instructions and allow to cool once baked.
- Add a spoon full of yellow Reese’s Pieces into each of the cupcakes then place the cut out piece back on top.yellow Reese's pieces
- Split the frosting into three bowls and use food coloring to turn them into red, blue, and yellow frosting. One color frosting per bowl.vanilla frosting, red, blue, and yellow food coloring
- Spoon the frosting into a large piping bag or a gallon size ziploc bag, alternating each color as you go.
- Pipe frosting on top of each of the black cupcakes. Alternating the frosting colors ends up mixing the colors slightly and gives you a nice rainbow look for the frosting.
- Your pot of gold St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes are done! Enjoy at room temperature for the best St. Patrick’s Day treat!
Lisa Ehrman says
Kids are going to love these cupcakes!!!
Susan says
What a brilliant idea and I know my kids will be thrilled when they take a bite of these fun cupcakes. Thanks for sharing at the This Is How We Roll Link Party on Organized 31,
Lauren says
What a clever cupcake idea- how fun these would be for dessert!
Kyla @HouseOfHipsters says
I always wondered how the M&Ms got in there and didn’t melt. now I know! Such a fun idea! Thanks for sharing on Found & Foraged!
Valerie says
How fun! I love anything with a surprise inside!
Cheri says
visiting from Lakeshore drive linky..and OMG am I going to make these for my grand kids next month! THanks for sharing!
Cheri
http://www.fabricandmemories.blogspot.com
Tonya W. says
I love these! What a great idea. I can’t wait to make them for my family.
Cathy Compeau says
Hi,
Just wanted to let you know I am sharing your wonderful post in my 100 Something Green St. Patricks Day RoundUp http://wp.me/p466oG-11f with a link back to your original post plus pinned to my St. Patricks Day Board! Have a terrific weekend!
Cathy from APeekIntoMyParadise.com
Joanne T Ferguson says
G’day and what fun Britni! Great idea for children of all ages! 🙂
Pinned…Cheers! Joanne
Megan @ Homemade Ginger says
OK, I love how you made that rainbow frosting! How clever. My kids would go crazy over these, they are adorable.
DesignedByBH says
These are great, Britni! They turned out so well!
– Brooke –
Bethany says
How fun! I love the “gold” center, and the frosting is super cute! I have tried mixing the frosting like that before and mine was NOT as cute as yours for sure!
Britni Vigil says
Thanks Bethany! I was actually really surprised that the frosting turned out so cute, especially since I’d never done it before.
Jessica Anderson says
Such a cute idea! I seriously love everything about these!!!
Britni Vigil says
Thanks Jessica!
Jeannie says
Cleaver! I also like that twizzler rainbow with popcorn.
Britni Vigil says
Me too Jeannie, but that might just be because I love Twizzlers!
Brooklyn at Cook and Craft Me Crazy says
This is GENIUS- And so easy! I love it! xo-Brook
Britni Vigil says
Thanks Brook!
Stephanie Pass says
What a cute idea! Love it! Just pinned!
Britni Vigil says
Thanks Stephanie!