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Ultimate Birthday Cupcakes Recipe

All birthdays deserve fun and festive ultimate birthday cupcakes! My soft and fluffy confetti cupcakes are topped with homemade marshmallow meringue frosting and a chocolate shell. They’re decadent, loaded with sprinkles, and party ready.

Today’s ultimate birthday cupcakes are over the top and perfect for any celebration—not just birthdays. They’re bright and colorful, loaded with sprinkles, and have a wow factor thanks to hi-hat frosting dunked in chocolate (just like my peanut butter hi-hat cupcakes). It’s like marshmallow soft serve under a thick chocolate shell. Let’s get this party started!

There Are 3 Parts to These Ultimate Birthday Cupcakes

That cupcake batter up there? ↑↑ Yeah. It’s torture not tasting it.

Marshmallow Meringue Frosting

Marshmallow meringue frosting is nothing to fear. It’s basically Swiss meringue buttercream, just without the butter. But don’t let the word “meringue” frighten you. This is an astonishingly simple mixture—you only need 4 ingredients, a stovetop, and a mixer. In fact, we’ve made it multiple times before:

  • No Bake S’mores Cake
  • Brownie Baked Alaska
  • S’mores Chocolate Mousse
  • Chocolate Mousse Pie
  • S’mores Brownie Cupcakes

Here’s what you’ll do: Begin by whisking the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar together in a double boiler or heat-proof bowl over a small pot of simmering water. Continue whisking until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has thinned out. Remove from heat, add vanilla extract and a pinch of salt if needed, then use your mixer and whip on high speed until stiff glossy peaks form. Whipping is where the magic happens. It’s fun to watch the mixture transform from a thin liquid to voluminous fluff—literally a big puffy cloud.

Chocolate Coating

After piping the marshmallow meringue frosting onto each cooled cupcake, it’s time to take a chocolate dive.

We’ll combine just 2 ingredients together for the chocolate shell: oil + pure chocolate. Melt the two together, then let it sit for about 10 minutes before dunking. The meringue frosting is pretty stable, but heat from melted chocolate will cause it to collapse—that’s why I recommend waiting a few minutes before dipping the cupcakes. Carefully and quickly dip each cupcake into the chocolate to coat the frosting. Add any additional sprinkles on top, then refrigerate the cupcakes for to set the chocolate, creating the chocolate shell.

Prep Time 1 min
Cook Time 22 mins
Total Time 23 mins
Cuisine:
Courses:
Servings: 14
Description

The ultimate birthday cupcakes start with a funfetti cupcake and are topped with marshmallow frosting and a chocolate shell!

Ingredients You’ll Need
  • 1 batch confetti cupcakes (or any cupcakes!)
  • 3 large egg whites, room temperature*
  • 3/4 cup (150g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • pinch salt
  • 10 ounces (280g)
  • 1 and 1 1/2 Tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
  • optional: sprinkles for topping
Instructions
  1. 1
    Set the eggs out that you’ll need for the frosting. By the time you bake and cool the cupcakes, the egg whites will be room temperature.
  2. 2
    Make the confetti cupcakes. Allow them to completely cool.
  3. 3
    Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a saucepan filled with two inches of simmering water. Do not let it touch the water. (You can use a double boiler if you have one.) Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes. You can use a candy thermometer to make sure they’re ready; it will register 160°F (71°C).*
  4. 4
    Transfer the mixing bowl to an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the vanilla. Beat on high speed for 5-6 minutes until soft, glossy peaks form..) Taste. Add a pinch of salt if needed. I like to add 1/8 teaspoon of salt.
  5. 5
    Pipe frosting onto each cooled cupcake. I use a Wilton 1M tip. You may have an extra cupcake or 2 leftover if you use a lot of frosting on each cupcake. Chill cupcakes in the refrigerator or freezer until frosting is completely firm. I freeze mine for 20 minutes.
  6. 6
    melt the chopped chocolate and oil together in the microwave in 20 second increments, stirring after each until completely melted. You can also melt in a double boiler if you have one. Let the chocolate cool down for 5-10 minutes before dipping.
  7. 7
    Holding the cupcake by its bottom, carefully and very quickly dip each into chocolate to coat the frosting. Place on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet in case any chocolate drips off. The perfect shape of the piped frosting may slightly deflate—that’s ok! Add any additional sprinkles on top. Refrigerate cupcakes for 30 minutes to set the chocolate.
  8. 8
    Cover and store cupcakes at room temperature for 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Finished cupcakes do not freeze well.
Keywords: chocolate, cream of tartar, egg whites, eggs, granulated sugar, oil, sprinkles, vanilla extract
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