Last Updated on February 21, 2023 by Alaina Bullock
Liven up your St. Patty’s celebration with these delicious vanilla cupcakes that are baked to golden perfection then decorated with clouds, a rainbow, and a pot of gold in this fun and tasty St. Patrick’s Day Pot O’ Gold Cupcakes recipe.
To many people, St. Patrick’s Day is a day to honor one of Ireland’s foremost patron saints, St. Patrick, as well as a day to celebrate all things Irish. For me, it is also a celebration of the arrival of Spring…rainbows, green grass, clover, shamrocks, freshness, and awakening.
What better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than making a batch of fun and delicious St. Patrick’s Day Pot O’ Gold Cupcakes?!
How to Make St. Patrick’s Day Pot O’ Gold Cupcakes
Legend holds that leprechauns hide their gold in a pot at the end of the rainbow. Gather the kids around and bring this legend to life with these adorable and delicious cupcakes!
All you need is a few easy-to-find ingredients, and a bit of time to bake and decorate, and you’ve got yourself a batch of adorable St. Patrick’s Day Pot O’ Gold cupcakes!
You will find the full ingredients instructions in the free printable recipe card below.
Kitchen Tools You May Need
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- 12-count muffin/cupcake pan
- green cupcake liners
- large and medium mixing bowl
- stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment OR hand-held mixer
- wire rack for cooling
- Icing bags and tips – I used a closed-star tip
Ingredients for St. Patrick’s Day Pot O’ Gold Cupcakes
These cute cupcakes are very easy to make. The recipe calls for nothing more than a few common, simple ingredients. All of which you can find at your local grocery, in Walmart, or online through Amazon.
For the Cupcakes:
- butter, unsalted
- sugar
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- cold milk
For the Green Frosting (makes enough for 24 cupcakes, total):
- cream cheese
- unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
- salt
- green food coloring
For the Decorations
- AirHeads Xtremes Sweetly Sour Rainbow Belts
- 12 individually wrapped Rolo candies
Directions to Make St. Patrick’s Day Pot O’ Gold Cupcakes
For the Cupcakes:
Step One: Prepare Cupcake Pan and Oven
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a cupcake pan with green liners and set aside.
Step Two: Prepare the Batter
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
- Now add in the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing after each addition until fully incorporated.
- Then add the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and mix well.
- Add the dry mix to the butter mixture, mixing until completely combined.
- Slowly stir in milk, mixing until the batter forms.
Step Three: Fill the Tins
- Fill cupcake liners ¾ of the way with batter.
Step Four: Bake, Then Cool
- Bake in the preheated oven for 18 – 24 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
- Remove and let the cupcakes cool completely before you frost and decorate them.
St. Patrick’s Day Pot O’ Gold Cupcakes Frosting Instructions
You will need white and green frosting to make these adorable cupcakes. Make sure you separate out enough icing to make clouds before you add the green food coloring. I found that ½ cup to ¾ cup was plenty!
Step One: Combine Butter and Cream Cheese
- Cream together the butter (room temperature) and the cream cheese (room temperature) until light, fluffy and smooth.
Step Two: Add Vanilla and Salt
- Add in the vanilla and salt, mixing until well combined.
Step Three: Slowly Add Sugar
- With your mixer on low, slowly add in the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until completely combined.
Step Three: Separate Frosting for Coloring
- Since you will need both white icing and green icing, go ahead and remove enough icing to make the small clouds on the cupcakes. I removed around ½ cup to ¾ cup and placed it in a frosting bag with tip.
- The remaining icing will be colored green in the next step.
Step Four: Add Color
- Slowly add one or two drops of green food coloring at a time until you get the tint you want.
How to Decorate St. Patrick’s Day Pot O’ Gold Cupcakes
Step One: Make Rainbows
Note – It may take some practice to get your rainbows the perfect length so they hold an arch shape.
- Use a sharp knife to carefully cut the rainbow sour strips to size. I cut mine into about 5 to 6-inch strips as I found the shorter they are, the better they stand up.
- Next, use the knife to make a slit on the top of the cupcake where you want each end of the rainbow candy to go. This makes it much easier to insert the candy into the cupcake.
- Now insert one end of the candy strip into the first slit you made in the cupcake, form it into an arch, then insert the other end into the second slit.
Pro Tip: I recommend adding the rainbows no more than 2 hours before serving, or they will start to droop and lose their shape.
Step Two: Frost
- Next, carefully cover the Pot O” Gold cupcakes tops using the green cupcake icing, working around the rainbows. I used a swirl piping tip.
Pro Tip: If you have one, use a grass-piping tip to get the look of grass.
Step Three: Add Clouds
- Now use the white icing fitted with a decorative tip to add the clouds on each side of the rainbow. I used an open-star tip to do this part.
Step Four: Add Pot of Gold
- Last, but not least, insert the “pot of gold” (Rolo candy with the bottom side up) into the ‘grass’ at one end of the rainbow.
And that’s it! Aren’t they super cute? And they are so easy to make and decorate that even the kids can help!
Like so many things in life, these St. Patrick’s Day Pot O’ Gold Cupcakes are so much better when shared with those you love! So make a bunch and enjoy it with family and friends!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
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St. Patrick's Day Pot 'O Gold Cupcakes
Liven up your St. Patty's celebration with these delicious vanilla cupcakes that are baked to golden perfection then decorated with clouds, a rainbow, and a pot of gold in this fun and tasty St. Patrick's Day Pot O' Gold Cupcakes recipe.
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ¾ cup of sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup cold milk
For the Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ c unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- green food coloring
For the Decorations
- AirHeads Xtremes Sweetly Sour Rainbow Belts
- 12 individually wrapped Rolo candies
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a cupcake pan with green liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
- Now add in the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing after each addition until fully incorporated.
- Then add the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and mix well.
- Add the dry mix to the butter mixture, mixing until completely combined.
- Slowly stir in milk, mixing until the batter forms.
- Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way with batter.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 18 - 24 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
- Remove and let the cupcakes cool completely before you frost and decorate them.
For the Frosting
- Cream together the room-temperature butter and room-temperature cream cheese until light and fluffy and smooth.
- Add in salt and vanilla, mixing until well combined.
- With your mixer on low, slowly add in the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until completely combined.
- Since you will need both white icing and green icing, go ahead and remove enough icing to make the small clouds on the cupcakes. I removed around ½ cup to ¾ cup and placed it in a frosting bag with a tip. The remaining icing will be colored green in the next step.
- Slowly add in green food coloring, a drop at a time, until you get the tint you want.
Decorating the Cupcakes
- Begin by forming the rainbow sour candy strips into an arch and sticking the ends into the cupcake. I cut my strips into about 6″ long pieces as I found the shorter they are, the better they stand up. I then used a knife to make a slit in the top of the cupcake where I wanted the rainbow candy to go - it made it much easier to insert it into the cupcake! I also recommend adding the rainbows no more than 2 hours before serving, or they will start to droop and lose their shape.
- Next, cover the cupcake tops using the green cupcake icing and work around the rainbows. If you have the time and an extra-creative urge, use the decorative piping tip that gives you the look of grass.
- Now use the white icing to add the clouds on each side of the rainbow. I used one of the included tips to do this part.
- Last, but not least, insert the "pot of gold" into the 'grass' at one end of the rainbow.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12 cupcakesServing Size:
1 cupcakeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 501Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 268mgCarbohydrates: 73gFiber: 1gSugar: 57gProtein: 5g
Nutritional information is automatically calculated with ingredients and serving size and may not be accurate. Please always double check with your own nutritional apps as well.
aster
Thursday 4th of May 2023
Nice CupCakes!
Alaina Bullock
Thursday 4th of May 2023
Thank you!