Make Watermelon Cupcakes
If you're looking for a fun way to serve a tasty dessert, make watermelon flavored cupcakes that are decorated to look like watermelons! You can make your own homemade cupcakes and buttercream frosting that are flavored with watermelon flavoring oil. Or use a vanilla cake mix and add a little watermelon flavored gelatin. Color your buttercream or purchased frosting a bright pink or green and then sprinkle them with chocolate chips to look like seeds.
Contents
Ingredients
Watermelon Cupcakes From Scratch
For the cupcakes:
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups (400 g) sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon watermelon flavoring oil
- 3 1/2 cups (437 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (460 g) sour cream
- Pink or green food coloring (optional)
For the frosting:
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon watermelon flavoring oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 5 to 6 cups (625 to 750 g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup (90 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Pink or green food coloring (optional)
Makes 30 watermelon cupcakes
Quick Watermelon Cupcakes Using a Mix
- 1 3-ounce (85 g) package watermelon flavored gelatin, divided
- 1 15.35-ounce (432 g) package white cake mix
- Water according to the cake mix package
- Vegetable oil according to the cake mix package
- Eggs according to the cake mix package
- 1 tub (16 ounce or 440 g) ready-to-spread vanilla frosting
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring
- 1 cup (75 g) thawed whipped topping
- 1/2 cup (90 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Makes 24 watermelon cupcakes
Steps
Making Watermelon Cupcakes From Scratch
- Preheat the oven and line muffin pans. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees F (180 C). Get out three muffin pans and place paper or foil liners in each hole. Set the pans aside while you make the batter.
- Whisk together the dry cupcake ingredients. Measure 3 1/2 cups (437 g) of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into a mixing bowl. Whisk the ingredients for about 30 seconds. Set the dry ingredients aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar. Get out a large mixing bowl and place 1 cup (226 g) of softened unsalted butter in it. Add 2 cups (400 g) of sugar. Use a hand or stand mixer and beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed. Cream the mixture for a few minutes, so it becomes light and fluffy.
- You may want to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
- Beat in 3 eggs and watermelon flavoring oil. Crack one egg into the creamed butter and sugar. Beat the mixture on medium speed, so the egg is incorporated. Add two more eggs, one at a time. Stir the sides of the bowl and add 1 teaspoon of watermelon flavoring oil.
- Add some of the flour and half of the sour cream. Turn the mixer to low and add about one third of the dry ingredient mixture. Once the dry mix is incorporated, stir in 1 cup (230 g) of the sour cream until it's just combined.
- Add the rest of the flour and sour cream. Add another third of the dry mixture and stir it on low. Stir in another 1 cup (230 g) of sour cream. Stir in the rest of the dry mixture until it's just combined. If you want to color the cupcakes, stir in pink or green food coloring according to your preference.
- Fill the muffin pans and bake the cupcakes. Divide the cupcake batter among the lined muffin pans. You should fill 30 of the holes to make 30 cupcakes. Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. If you poke a toothpick into the center of a cupcake, it should come out clean. Place the cupcakes on a wire rack to cool.
- Cream the butter and some of the powdered sugar. Soften 6 tablespoons (84 g) of unsalted butter and place it in a large mixing bowl. Get out 5 to 6 cups (625 to 750 g) of powdered sugar. Place about one third of the powdered sugar into the bowl with the butter. Use a stand or hand mixer to beat the butter and powdered sugar on low speed for about 30 seconds.
- Add the milk and more powdered sugar. Pour in 3 tablespoons of milk and turn the mixer on to medium, so the milk is incorporated. Add another third of the powdered sugar and beat the frosting on medium speed until the sugar is combined.
- Stir in the lemon juice, watermelon flavoring oil, and powdered sugar. Pour in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of watermelon flavoring oil. Beat the frosting for about 30 seconds and then beat in the remaining third of powdered sugar. Beat the frosting until it's light and fluffy. If you'd like to color the frosting, beat in pink or green food coloring.
- If the frosting is too wet, just mix in more powdered sugar until it firms up.
- Frost the watermelon cupcakes. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, spread some of the watermelon frosting onto each cupcake. If you prefer, you could use a pastry bag to pipe the frosting. Get out 1/2 cup (90 g) of semi-sweet chocolate chips and arrange several chips on top of each frosted cupcake, so they look like watermelon seeds.
- Store leftover frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator for a few days.
- You can store unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container for up to a week. Frost and decorate the cupcakes right before you're ready to serve them.
Making Quick Watermelon Cupcakes Using a Mix
- Preheat the oven and line muffin pans. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees F (180 C). Get out two muffin pans and place paper or foil liners in each hole. Set the pans aside while you make the batter.
- Place the cupcake ingredients in a mixing bowl. Open one 15.35-ounce (432 g) package of white cake mix. Pour the mix into a large mixing bowl. Follow the manufacturer's instructions and add the water, vegetable oil, and eggs according to the instructions.
- Mix the cupcake batter and stir in some of the watermelon gelatin. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to beat the cupcake batter until it's smooth. Open one 3-ounce (85 g) package of watermelon flavored gelatin. Remove 1 tablespoon of the dry gelatin and set it aside. Stir the rest of the gelatin into the vanilla cupcake batter.
- The batter should turn a pale pink color.
- Fill the muffin pans and bake the cupcakes. Divide the cupcake batter among the lined muffin pans. You should fill 24 holes to make 24 cupcakes. Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for the time recommended on the package. Place the cupcakes on a wire rack to cool.
- Most cupcakes will take around 18 to 21 minutes to bake.
- Combine the frosting with the gelatin and food coloring. Scoop 1 tub (16 ounce or 440 g) of ready-to-spread vanilla frosting into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir the reserved tablespoon of watermelon gelatin and 1 tablespoon of red food coloring into the frosting. Stir the frosting well, so the color and watermelon flavor are completely incorporated.
- If you'd rather have green watermelon frosting, just use green food coloring.
- Whisk the whipped topping into the frosting. Thaw 1 cup (75 g) of whipped topping. Once it's soft, use a whisk to blend it into the watermelon frosting. Avoid stirring the frosting too much or the whipped topping may lose some of its volume.
- Frost and decorate the quick watermelon cupcakes. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, spread some of the watermelon frosting onto each cupcake. If you prefer, you could use a pastry bag to pipe the frosting. Get out 1/2 cup (90 g) of semi-sweet chocolate chips and arrange several chips on top of each frosted cupcake, so they look like watermelon seeds.
- Store leftover frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator for a few days.
- You can store unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container for up to a week. Frost and decorate the cupcakes right before you're ready to serve them.
Things You'll Need
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Digital scale
- Spoon
- Stand or hand mixer with beater attachments
- Pastry bag with piping tips, optional
- Wire rack
- Muffin pans
- Whisk
