Easy Campfire Cupcakes Recipe
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These cute campfire cupcakes use mini marshmallows, mini pretzel sticks, and frosting to create an adorable tiny campfire on top of a chocolate cupcake. Incredibly easy to make, these creative treats are sure to be a hit with anyone who loves camping or the outdoors.
There’s a lot to love about this adorable campfire cupcakes recipe. A tiny campfire with a frosting flame sits on top of delicious chocolate cake in this recipe that’s fun, easy, and inexpensive.
The beauty of these bonfire cupcakes is in the details, from the red and orange colors of the fire to the pretzel stick kindling. There’s even a mini marshmallow on a pretzel toasting stick! It’s hard to find a cupcake recipe that’s cuter or more fun than this, and with a boxed cake mix as the base, it’s also incredibly easy.
Let the kids help you with the decorating and have a great time together as you create a treat that will be the star of your next summer party or camping themed party.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
It’s Kid-Friendly – These cute little campfire cupcakes are a fun summer activity for the kids! They’ll love creating the marshmallow toasting sticks and putting the pretzel pieces on the tops of the cupcakes to make the ‘kindling’ for the fire.
No Special Ingredients Needed – The adorable decorations on these fun cupcakes are made with common ingredients that you probably already have in your house – food coloring, mini marshmallows, and pretzel sticks. Even better, the only decorating tools you’ll need are a frosting tip and piping bag.
Impress Your Guests – With their adorable appearance, these cupcakes are a great conversation starter and always a crowd pleaser. This is a great recipe if you want to impress everyone with your decorating skills. No one needs to know just how easy it is!
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix + ingredients from the back (water, oil, eggs)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened (unsalted)
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. milk
- orange and red gel food coloring
- 1 bag pretzel sticks
- 24 mini marshmallows
- Note: You’ll need piping bags, tips, and plastic wrap to decorate these cupcakes.
How to Make Campfire Cupcakes
Preparing The Cupcake Base
Step 1: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cupcake pans with cupcake liners and set aside.
Step 2: In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), prepare the chocolate cupcake recipe according to the package directions. Bake the cupcakes as instructed on the box (you’ll know they’re done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean).
Let cupcakes cool completely to room temperature.
Making The Frosting
Step 1: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until it’s light and fluffy.
Step 2: Add powdered sugar to the butter. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until they’re well combined.
Step 3: Add vanilla extract and milk, and then mix on medium speed until frosting comes together and is smooth.
Step 4: Divide buttercream frosting, putting half in one mixing bowl and half in another. Add several drops of orange coloring to one of the bowls.
Step 5: Add several drops of red coloring to the other bowl. Mix both colors of frosting until food coloring is combined and there are no streaks.
Creating The Campfire
Step 1: Add small dollops of frosting to the center of each of the cooled cupcakes.
Step 2: Break the pretzel sticks in half to create 6 “wood” pieces that will sit under your frosting. Press them onto center of the cupcake, using the dab of frosting to hold them in place.
Step 3: To make the dual-colored icing, take two large sheets of plastic wrap and add 3-4 big spoonfuls of orange frosting to the wrap. Next, fold the edges over to make a tube of icing and twist the ends.
Repeat this for the red frosting and set aside. Snip off one end of the twisted plastic wrap for each color.
Step 4: Add both colors side by side to a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip. The trimmed off end should be pointing down towards the frosting tip.
Squeeze the colors evenly and swirl the frosting onto the cupcakes using a circular motion. The dual colors will give your cupcakes the fire effect.
Step 5: For the topping, take 24 pretzel sticks, trimmed about ¾, and push a miniature marshmallow on the end of each.
Step 6: Add the “toasting marshmallow” to the top of the cupcakes and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
- Use any brand of cake mix you like for these fun campfire cupcakes but be sure to prepare it according to the package directions. Brands may vary slightly so you may need to adjust your ingredients and amounts accordingly.
- Create an extra fun surprise by adding marshmallow cream to these cupcakes. Use a cupcake corer to cut a small circle out of the top of the cupcake. Then fill the hole with marshmallow fluff and replace the circle, frosting cupcakes as directed.
- In a hurry and want to skip the baking all together? No problem! Just use store-bought chocolate muffins or unfrosted basic chocolate cupcakes, then frost and decorate according to the recipe directions. You can even use store-bought white frosting and color it instead of making frosting from scratch.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They should keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
More Fun Party Ideas
Love whimsical cupcake ideas? You may want to check these out too…
Campfire Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix **see notes
- 1 1/4 cup water**
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil**
- 3 eggs**
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Gel food coloring – orange red
- 24 pretzel sticks
- 24 mini marshmallows
Instructions
Preparing the cupcakes
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Add cupcake liners to each cupcake pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, prepare the chocolate cake batter according to the package directions. Bake the cupcakes as instructed on the box, then allow them to cool completely to room temperature.1 box chocolate cake mix, 1 1/4 cup water**, 1/2 cup vegetable oil**, 3 eggs**
Making the frosting
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until it’s light and creamy.1 cup unsalted butter
- Add powdered sugar to the butter.4 cups powdered sugar
- Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until they’re well combined. Add vanilla extract and milk, and then mix on medium speed until frosting comes together and is smooth.2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons milk
- Divide buttercream frosting, putting half in one mixing bowl and half in another. Add several drops of orange food coloring to one of the bowls.Gel food coloring – orange
- Add several drops of red food coloring to the other bowl. Mix both colors of frosting until food coloring is combined and there are no streaks.
Creating the campfire
- Add small dollops of frosting to the center of each cupcake.
- Break the pretzel sticks in half to create 6 “wood” pieces that will sit under your frosting. Press the pretzels onto the dab of frosting to hold them in place.24 pretzel sticks
- To make the dual-colored icing, take two large sheets of plastic wrap and add 3-4 big spoonfuls of orange frosting to the wrap. Next, fold the edges over to make a tube of icing and twist the ends.
- Repeat this for the red frosting and set aside. Snip off one end of the twisted plastic wrap for each color.
- Add both colors side by side to a large piping bag prepared with your favorite frosting tip (I like to use the large star tip). The trimmed off end should be pointing down towards the frosting tip.
- Squeeze the colors evenly and swirl the frosting onto the cupcakes using a circular motion. The dual colors will give your cupcakes the fire effect.
- For the topping, take 24 pretzel sticks, trimmed about ¾, and push miniature marshmallows (we used one per pretzel) on the end of each.
- Add the “toasting marshmallow” to the top of the cupcakes and enjoy!24 mini marshmallows
Notes
- If you're in a hurry, you can skip the baking all together. Just use store-bought chocolate muffins or unfrosted basic chocolate cupcakes, then frost and decorate according to the recipe directions.
- You could do the same with the frosting. Just buy white frosting and use food coloring to create the fire effect.
- For even more color, divide the icing three ways and add yellow to the third one. Use the yellow frosting alongside the other two colors to make your fire.
Nutrition
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