This easy cupcake recipe features cupcakes that are filled with cool, silky vanilla pudding before being topped with sweet icing and Lucky Charms marshmallows! It doesn’t get any better than that!
If you’re a fan of Lucky Charms, Bavarian cream donuts, and Cupcakes, this is your dream dessert! I mean, look at this:
These cupcakes are green for St. Patrick’s Day but you could make them any color you please! Whip them up for a birthday party, holiday, or when you just feel like having an AMAZING cupcake.
Switch up the flavors too! Lemon pudding would be divine inside a yellow cupcake, and chocolate pudding inside a chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing would be a dream!
Confession: I’m not an expert baker. I have many talents but baking doesn’t come naturally to me. I have a history of diving into elaborate recipes that just don’t turn out well.
So, when creating and testing new desserts nowadays, I tend to navigate towards a tasty and easy cupcake recipe.
This is part of the reason why I love using boxed cake mix and jazzing it up with bakery ingredients. I think most of us would agree that anything to save time these days is a blessing.
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So, as I stood in the bakery aisle of my local grocery store, I began brainstorming and putting together the pieces of this yummy cupcake recipe:
1. I love everything cream and pudding filled, so that was a must.
2. My husband found some AWESOME lucky charms marshmallows, so those were a necessity.
3. The dessert needed to be green for the holiday and easy to make for my sanity so I grabbed a box of white cake mix and ready-made frosting.
A star was born…
Here are a few tips to read prior to beginning:
- Use gel food coloring- It’s ultra-pigmented so you don’t need a lot and it won’t water down the ingredients. You can find the kind I use here on Amazon.
- Add the drops slowly. You can always add food coloring but you can’t take it away!
- I swapped out the oil in the cake box recipe for melted butter. You can use either but the butter has a much richer flavor.
- I love the look of piped icing but I don’t have a frosting bag. Instead, I cut the bottom corner off of a Ziploc bag, pushed a decorative icing tip into the hole, wrapped a piece of tape around it so its stayed, and spooned the frosting into the bag. Voila!
- These cupcakes were created for St. Patrick’s Day but, as mentioned, they can be modified for any occasion! Just switch up the color or flavor of cake, pudding, and frosting and add some cute themed sprinkles!
- This dessert is really fun to make with kids. My son LOVED helping me spoon the pudding into the cupcake centers and add the marshmallows.
- If desired, you could ramp up the flavor of these cupcakes with ½ – 1 teaspoon of flavored extract. Vanilla, peppermint, lemon, or even almond would be great in this recipe!
Here’s how to make this drool-worthy cupcake recipe for St. Patrick’s Day:
Ingredients:
- 1 box of white cake mix
- A container of vanilla icing (or you can make your own if your prefer)
- 1, 5.1 oz box of instant vanilla pudding
- Lucky Charms Marshmallows or Lucky Charms cereal
- 4 egg whites (to keep the cake mix from turning yellow)
- 3 cups of milk
- 1 ¼ cups of water
- ½ cup butter, melted
- Green food coloring (I recommend gel food coloring) or whichever color you prefer
- Cupcake Liners (if you wanna take it to the next level, check out these beautiful cupcake wrappers)
Instructions:
- Prepare the instant pudding according to package directions (add 3 cups of cold milk and whisk) and then placing in the fridge to firm.
- Mix the white cake mix, melted butter, egg whites, and water in a large bowl. Then, add several drops of food coloring and mix – add additional drops until you’ve reached the desired tint.
- Spoon the cake mix into lined cupcake pans and bake according to package instructions.
- While the cupcakes are baking, spoon the frosting into a small bowl.
- Add food coloring, one drop at a time, until you reach the desired tint. Whip the frosting to make it lighter and fluffier. Set aside.
- When the cupcakes are done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool COMPLETELY
- Once cool, use a knife to carefully remove the center of each cupcake. Place the center pieces on a plate and keep them intact (you’ll need them later).
- Spoon the vanilla pudding into the center of each cupcake.
- Take the reserved cupcake cut-outs and remove the bottom of them so you have a thin lid to place on top of the pudding.
- Once the cupcake lids are on, frost the cupcakes using your favorite method. I like spooning the frosting into a Ziploc bag, cutting the corner off, and piping it on!
- Lastly, add your lucky charms marshmallows or cereal, and any other sprinkles you’d like!
Note: It’s important to keep the cupcakes in the refrigerator so the pudding stays chilled.
There you have it! A decadent and easy cupcake recipe for St. Patrick’s Day!
If you like this recipe, you might also enjoy: The Best White Chocolate Raspberry Cake Ever! and 8 Simple St. Patrick’s Day Decorations You’ll Love.
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