Our Best Cupcake Recipes

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com
Updated August 29, 2020

Brownie cupcakes, peanut butter cupcakes, blueberry cheesecake cupcakes, cookies and cream cupcakes: These cupcake recipes offer something for everyone, whether you want an easy fix-up for a box mix or a creative made-from-scratch treat.

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Blueberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

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Graham cracker crumbs, cream cheese and blueberry pie filling turn yellow cake mix into a whimsical twist on a favorite dessert. The idea comes from Designer Desserts Bakery in Valparaiso, Indiana.

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Soda Fountain Cupcakes

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Chilled cupcakes (aka poke cakes) get cheerful colors from gelatin poured over the cakes and swirled into the cream cheese frosting. The recipe makes two colors of cupcakes. If you like, simplify and use two boxes of a single flavor of gelatin.

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Zucchini Cupcakes with Greek Yogurt Frosting

Credit: Karla Conrad
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These healthy cupcakes--with whole wheat flour, quinoa and applesauce--can double as morning muffins when topped with a drizzle of honey or small pat of butter.

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Black Tie Cupcakes

Credit: Robert Jacobs
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You can get creative with the finishing touches on these cupcakes, which are topped with seedless red raspberry or blackberry preserves, chocolate ganache, decorative icing and small decorative candies.

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Root Beer Float Cupcakes

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These soda-shop-cute cupcakes are inspired by the whimsical treats served at Designer Desserts Bakery in Valparaiso, Indiana.

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Pina Colada Cupcakes

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Cocktail meets cupcake with the tropical marriage of pineapple preserves, crunchy macaroon bits and toasted coconut. We bet you won't even miss the rum.

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Malt Shop Special Cupcakes

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As cheerfully cute as an ice cream sundae, these showstopper cupcakes have a luscious and oh-so-easy frosting made of whipping cream, pudding mix and malted milk powder. The recipe comes from Designer Desserts Bakery in Valparaiso, Indiana.

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Cream Soda Toffee Cupcakes

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These moist cupcakes feature old-fashioned cream soda, a browned butter frosting and a crunchy toffee topping.

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Orange Cream Pop Cupcakes

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For this party-special cupcake, combine white cake mix, orange-flavor gelatin, orange juice, and cheesecake-flavor instant pudding and pie filling mix. Cream cheese frosting gets a flavor punch from orange gelatin and shredded orange peel.

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Dark Chocolate-Raspberry Cupcakes

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Turn raspberry-filled cupcakes upside down before drizzling with a rich chocolate truffle icing.

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Meringue-Topped Raspberry Cupcakes

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Raspberry juice or raspberry liqueur flavors these cupcakes, while meringue adds a so-light topping. Press a raspberry into the meringue for a final touch.

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Chai Cupcakes

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Put some heart in your baking and fragrance in your kitchen with our easy, cake-mix cupcakes seasoned with chai spice. They mix up in 20 minutes. Can't find chai blend? Use 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice with 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom.

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Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

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White cake mix and crushed chocolate sandwich cookies go together quickly for these scrumptious cupcakes.

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The BMC 2

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This sweet-salty bacon-topped cupcake was one of 11 finalists in a Best of the Midwest Recipe Contest. Its creator, pharmacist Jill Drury of Chicago, used a scientific-formula approach to name her cupcake based on its ingredients: bacon, maple syrup and cinnamon (squared).

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Peanut Butter Cupcakes

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A chocolate-covered peanut butter cup tucks inside each of these treats. The tops will sink a bit as the cupcakes cool--creating a perfect spot for a dollop of jam.

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Fun Flower Cupcakes

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Silicon flower-shape baking cups (such as Wilton's Fun Cups) and miniature candy-coated milk chocolate candies transform cupcakes into a flower bouquet. Marzipan bees add another fun touch. For edible stems, try green shoestring licorice.

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Islands Banana Foster Cupcakes

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Top coconut cupcakes with bananas, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon for a tropical-flavor treat.

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Fresh Rosemary & Lemon Cupcakes

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Italian flavors inspired this cupcake with its refreshing blend of fresh rosemary and lemon and topping of lemon glaze.

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Sweet Potato Cupcakes

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Crown these cinnamon-spiced cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and a curl of finely shredded orange peel.

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Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

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Vanilla cream oozes out of vanilla cupcakes. Top it all off with a rich chocolate ganache.

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Red Velvet Cupcakes with White Chocolate Filling and Mascarpone Frosting

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These special-occasion cupcakes have decadent white chocolate whipped cream centers and a rich mascarpone frosting.

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Mochaccino Cupcakes

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Swirl coffee buttercream frosting on chocolate-coffee cupcakes; add a cream-filled cookie "straw" for a pretty finishing touch.

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Easy Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

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You decide how easy you want these to be! We're partial to our homemade Pumpkin Cupcakes with Sweetened Whipped Cream Frosting, but you can substitute purchased plain cupcakes or purchased whipped white frosting to make this recipe even simpler.

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Blueberry Cupcakes

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Fresh blueberries get baked into these vanilla-flavored cupcakes and scattered on top.

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Gingerbread Cupcakes

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These crackly-topped low-calorie cupcakes will remind you of gingersnap cookies.

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Ebony and Ivory Cupcakes

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Drizzle this chocolate cupcake with Powdered Sugar Glaze and then rolled in chocolate shavings if you want it to look like ours. Or top the glaze with nuts, hard candies, chopped chocolate or colored sugar.

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Kansas Sunflower Cupcakes

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The Sunflower State's wheat crops and native state flower inspired this cupcake. Frosting piped into petals turns the individual Kansas Sunflower Cupcakes into pretty treats, while wheat germ adds a hearty touch to the buttermilk-vanilla cakes.

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Buttermilk Cupcakes with Sour Cream Frosting

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Swirls of sour cream frosting and sugar flowers decorate tender buttermilk cupcakes. You can add a dab of jam below the frosting, if you like. Look for sugar flowers among baking ingredients at the grocery store or at baking supply stores.

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German Chocolate Cupcakes

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Creamy chocolate-pecan ice cream, caramel sauce and toasted coconut top these showstopping cupcakes. For a shortcut, start with bakery cupcakes or use a cake mix.

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Firecracker-Red Cupcakes with Coconut Filling

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A red, white and blue dessert stars at any patriotic potluck. Red velvet cake mix makes our moist and gooey Firecracker-Red Cupcakes extra easy to prepare.

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Easy Berry Cheesecakes

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Transform vanilla cupcakes into a patriotic treat with a swirl of cream cheese frosting and a topping of fresh berries.

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Brownie Cupcakes

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A surprise candy-bar center awaits those who bite into these fudgy delights. Based on a box of brownie mix, they're super-simple to bake—and easy to tote to potluck or tailgate parties.

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Layered pudding cupcakes

A super-simple cupcake fix-up: Bake your favorite flavor of cupcake, slice cupcakes into thirds or halves, layer with pudding, frost.

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By The editors of MidwestLiving.com