A super easy Piñata Cupcakes recipe with a surprise filling of bright and colourful sprinkles! Perfect for kids birthday parties!
These Piñata Cupcakes are SO MUCH FUN!!!! They’re cute, they’re bright and they’re gorgeously sparkly! It doesn’t get much better than that.
There’s been lots of piñata cupcakes recipes doing the rounds lately (including my Surprise Cupcakes from a few years ago – you can click here to get the recipe). But I thought it would be helpful to do a step by step guide for how to make piñata cupcakes. Once you’ve got the basic steps, they’re so simple!
What you need to make piñata cupcakes:
- A basic cupcake recipe (I highly, highly recommend this one (it’s also the one in the printable recipe card below). It’s a beautiful light vanilla cupcake recipe and is perfect for these piñata cupcakes)
- Frosting – a basic buttercream frosting will work great with piñata cupcakes as it’s firm enough to hold it’s shape, can be piped (if you like) and is really easy to make
- Sprinkles!!! This is the best part of piñata cupcakes! Please feel free to go as crazy as you like when it comes to filling the cupcakes – sprinkles, 100s and 1000s, mini M&Ms… any small chocolates or candies are great.
A step by step guide to making party piñata cupcakes:
1. Start off by preparing a batch of basic cupcakes (see recipe below). Allow them to cool completely.
2. Cut a small hole in the middle of each cooled cupcake (not quite to the bottom). Discard the majority of the removed cake, keeping just a small slice for the lid.
3. Fill each hole with sprinkles, mini chocolates, Smarties, M&Ms etc.
4. Place the reserved slices of cupcake back onto the top as a lid (press down lightly).
5. Use a basic buttercream frosting (see recipe below) to cover the entire top of the cupcakes.
6. Add the remaining sprinkles to decorate.
Making cupcakes ahead of time
When you’re planning a kids birthday party, it’s great to have as much of the food preparation as possible done ahead of time. Unfortunately, cupcakes are one of those things are best eaten within 1-2 days. BUT! That doesn’t mean you can’t make them ahead of time.. you absolutely can!
- Prepare and cook the cupcakes up to 1 month before and freeze in an airtight container until the day of the party (or the day before).
- Allow to defrost at room temperature (they wont take long at all) and then proceed with cutting the piñata holes, filling with sprinkles and covering with frosting.
- Store the decorated cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature until needed.
What can you fill piñata cupcakes with?
Some of my favourite things to fill these surprise party cupcakes with are:
- sprinkles!
- silver edible baubles
- mini m&ms
- any very small chocolates or candies
Kids party food recipes
Take the stress out of planning your little ones birthday party with our easy (and kid-approved!) party food recipes. Click here to check them out!
Piñata Cupcakes - Conventional Method
Ingredients
- 200 g unsalted butter, softened
- 200 g caster sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 200 g self raising flour
For the frosting:
- 185 g butter, softened
- 2 1/4 cups icing sugar mixture
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 drops food colouring
- sprinkles, mini M&Ms, edible silver balls to fill and decorate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius.
- Place cupcake cases into the holes of two 12-hole muffin trays.
- Place the butter, caster sugar, salt and vanilla extract into a bowl.
- Beat together with a stand-mixer or hand-held beaters until pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs to a separate bowl and beat together lightly.
- Slowly add the egg mixture to the butter mixture while continuing to beat.
- When all of the egg mixture has been completely combined with the butter mixture, sift in the self raising flour and stir with a spoon until just combined (don't over combine).
- Place the cupcake mixture into the cupcake cases - filling them to 2/3 full.
- Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden and when they spring back when touched in the centre (if you're making mini cupcakes, reduce the cooking time slightly).
- Leave cupcakes in the baking trays for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cut a small hole in the middle of each cooled cupcake (not quite to the bottom). Discard the majority of the removed cake, keeping just a small slice for the lid.
- Fill each hole with sprinkles, mini chocolates, Smarties, M&Ms etc.
- Place the reserved slices of cupcake back onto the top as a lid (press down lightly).
- To make the icing, beat the butter in a bowl until pale and fluffy (approximately 5 minutes).
- Slowly add the icing sugar mixture, milk and vanilla extract and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.
- Spread the frosting over the cupcakes and decorate with extra sprinkles.
Nutrition
Piñata Cupcakes - Thermomix Method
Ingredients
- 200 g unsalted butter, softened
- 200 g caster sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 200 g self raising flour
For the frosting:
- 185 g butter, softened
- 2 1/4 cups icing sugar mixture
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 drops food colouring
- sprinkles, mini M&Ms, edible silver balls to fill and decorate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius.
- Place cupcake cases into the holes of two 12-hole muffin trays.
- Place sugar and butter into the TM bowl and and mix for 15 seconds, Speed 5.
- Add the eggs, salt, vanilla extract and self-raising flour and mix for 15 seconds, Speed 5.
- Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula, then mix for a further 10 seconds, Speed 5.
- Place the cupcake mixture into the cupcake cases - filling them to 2/3 full.
- Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden and when they spring back when touched in the centre (if you're making mini cupcakes, reduce the cooking time slightly).
- Leave cupcakes in the baking trays for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cut a small hole in the middle of each cooled cupcake (not quite to the bottom). Discard the majority of the removed cake, keeping just a small slice for the lid.
- Fill each hole with sprinkles, mini chocolates, Smarties, M&Ms etc.
- Place the reserved slices of cupcake back onto the top as a lid (press down lightly).
- To make the icing, place the icing sugar into the TM bowl and mix for 10 seconds on Speed 9.
- Add the butter, milk, vanilla extract and food colouring to the bowl. Mix for 30 seconds on Speed 4.
- Spread the frosting over the cupcakes and decorate with extra sprinkles.
Nutrition
