My St. Patricks Day Cupcakes are a fun treat with unique flavor that comes from cereal infused milk. My son and his friends love to celebrate St Patty’s Day with these delicious treats.
Are you looking for more delicious ways to celebrate St. Paddy’s day? Try making my Irish soda bread recipe or my refreshing Copycat Recipe for a Shamrock Shake.
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Why this St. Patricks Day Cupcake Recipe is a Keeper
I love this recipe for st patricks day cupcakes because it’s a quick and easy alternative to boxed cake mix. The kids get such a kick out of them, I get asked to make them every year for a huge St. Patricks parade in our area.
- Cereal Milk: My Lucky Charms Cupcakes feature a cereal milk, which is milk that has been soaked with the cereal part of lucky charms. Doing this adds more complex, buttery yet sweet flavor.
- Easy Ingredients: Although this recipe may sounds bit more complicated, the ingredients very pantry friendly, you most likely already have majority of the items.
- Kid Friendly: Your kids will love these moist cakes especially because of the lucky charms!
How Can I Prevent the Cupcakes from Overfilling or Sinking in the Middle?
Only fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way. This will prevent overflowing which leads to sinking in the middle.
Pro Tip for Lucky Charm Recipes
To get perfectly fluffy cupcakes, do not overmix the batter. Mix until just combined for the best texture.
Ingredient Notes and Variation Suggestions for this Lucky Dessert Recipe
All of the required ingredients for lucky charm cupcakes are easy to find at the store, but you may even have some of them already. If you don’t, you can use different ingredients to substitute.
Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Lucky Charms: In order to make the cereal milk, you will need to separate the cereal from the lucky charms marshmallows. Reserved the marshmallows to use to decorate the St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes.
- Milk: I use whole milk but you can use a reduced fat variety.
- VARIATION: Dairy-Free: Use plant-based milk and vegan butter in place of dairy ingredients.
- Flour: White, all purpose flour for the fluffy cupcakes.
- VARIATION: Gluten-Free: Swap all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend.
- Flavor Add-ins: Add mint extract, cocoa to make chocolate cake, or chocolate chips to the batter for a minty twist or extra richness.
How to Make Lucky Charm Cupcake
This recipe comes together in 5 quick and easy steps. This lucky charm cake is so good, it will quickly become one of your favorite recipes.
Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Infuse Milk: Spread the cereal, without marshmallows, onto a lined baking sheet and bake. Place cooled cereal with milk in a bowl and let soak. Save the milk and discard the cereal.
- Preheat the Oven and Prep Cupcake Pan: Preheat oven to 350℉ and line muffin trays with cupcake liners.
- Make the Batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cornstarch and salt. In another bowl, beat together the butter, oil and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla extract and reserved cereal milk.
4. Bake the Cupcakes: Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat until just incorporated. Scoop the cupcake batter into the prepared liners and bake.
5. Frosting on Top and Decorate: Beat together butter, powdered sugar, some of the cereal milk and vanilla. Scoop the frosting into a piping bag fit with a large star tip.
Prep Ahead Suggestions for Saint Patricks Day Treats
Prepping ahead of time can really help to save you time and kitchen space if you’re hosting a st. paddys day party. These delicious st patrick’s day treats are always a hit in my household.
- Bake: You can bake and frost the lucky cupcakes up to a day ahead. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Frosting: Prepare the frosting recipe and store it separately, then frost the cupcakes just before serving.
How to Store, Freezing and Use Leftovers
- Storing: Store the cute St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes recipe in an air tight container at room temperature, or in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Wrap each green cupcake individually in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Using Leftovers: Cake Pops: Crumble the cupcakes, mix with frosting, roll into balls, dip in melted chocolate, and add sprinkles. Cupcake Crumble: Crumble the cupcakes and use them as a topping for ice cream, yogurt, or fruit crisps.
Common Questions and Reader Interactions About This Recipe
Use gel food coloring for the best color and without thinning your frosting.
Yes. Feel free to omit the frosting if you don’t want the extra sweetness.
Yes. Try making cereal cupcakes with other cereals for a variety of breakfast flavored delicious cupcakes. I love to make them with trix cereal and cocoa puffs!
Yes. In the bowl of a mixer, beat most of the ingredients together with the paddle attachment to make things go faster than by mixing by hand.
Expert Tips Making This St Patricks Day Recipe
- Ensure Even Batter Distribution: Use a scoop to evenly distribute batter into cupcake liners.
- Frost After Cooling: Frost cupcakes only after they cool completely to prevent melting.
- Food Coloring: Use gel food coloring the best green hue that won’t alter texture. Experiment with edible gold foil or dust to make pot of gold cupcakes.
- Different Frosting: Instead of a classic buttercream frosting, try making a cream cheese frosting.
- Add Mint Extract: A splash of mint extract in the frosting can complement the festive flavor and green food coloring.
- Doneness: Bake for 24-28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Thicker Frosting: If u want thicker frosting, add powdered sugar a little at a time. If you need it thinner, add a little more milk.
- Pudding: After you bake cupcakes, mix up tasty pistachio dry pudding mix and pipe it into the middle of the cupcakes for pistachio cupcakes.
- Decoration: Decorate the top of the cupcakes to help you celebrate. Use sprinkles, gold sprinkles for gold cupcakes, green sprinkles, gold coins, rainbow candy or mini chocolate chips.
- Serve With: Serve this fun holiday recipe with green eggs and ham or a Copycat Shamrock Shake.
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St. Patricks Day Cupcakes
Equipment
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Ingredients
Cake Ingredients:
- 3 cups Lucky Charms, cereal separated from marshmallows
- 2 cups Milk , divided
- 1 ¼ cups All-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons Baking powder
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoons Salt
- ½ cup Butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
- ¾ cup White sugar
- 2 Eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
Frosting Ingredients:
- ½ cup Butter, softened
- 3-4 cups Powdered icing sugar
- 2 tablespoons Cereal Milk*
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Rainbow Sprinkles, as desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300℉.
- Spread the Lucky Charms cereal (no marshmallows) onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, stirring halfway. Allow cereal to cool.
- Place the cooled cereal and milk in a large bowl and allow to soak for 15 minutes.
- Drain and save the milk and discard the cereal.
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Line one and a half muffin trays with cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cornstarch and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter, oil and sugar for 2 minutes until light-colored.
- Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract and ¾ cup of the reserved cereal milk.
- Beat in the dry ingredients until just incorporated.
- Scoop the cupcake batter into the prepared liners using a ⅓ cup measuring cup and bake for 24-28 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cupcake to cool completely before frosting.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter, 3 cups of the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of the cereal milk and the vanilla extract. Beat for 2 minutes before adjusting the texture with additional powdered sugar, if needed.
- Scoop the frosting into a piping bag fit with a large star tip.
Christina’s Notes
- Ensure Even Batter Distribution: Use a scoop to evenly distribute batter into cupcake liners.
- Frost After Cooling: Frost cupcakes only after they cool completely to prevent melting.
- Food Coloring: Use gel food coloring the best green hue that won’t alter texture. Experiment with edible gold foil or dust to make pot of gold cupcakes.
- Different Frosting: Instead of a classic buttercream frosting, try making a cream cheese frosting.
- Add Mint Extract: A splash of mint extract in the frosting can complement the festive flavor and green food coloring.
- Doneness: bake for 24-28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Thicker Frosting: If u want thicker frosting, add powdered sugar a little at a time. If you need it thinner, add a little more milk.
- Pudding: After you bake cupcakes, mix up tasty pistachio dry pudding mix and pipe it into the middle of the cupcakes for pistachio cupcakes.
- Decoration: Decorate these cupcakes to help you celebrate. Use sprinkles, gold sprinkles for gold cupcakes, green sprinkles, gold coins, rainbow candy or mini chocolate chips.
- Serve With: Serve this fun holiday recipe with green eggs and ham or a Copycat Shamrock Shake.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!