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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Cupcakes

    Pinata Cupcakes

    Updated: Jun 15, 2019 โ€ข Published: Mar 23, 2018 by Sam Merritt โ€ข 75 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe
    Piñata Cupcakes

    Today I’m showing you how to make these fun, surprise-inside Pinata Cupcakes! Made with my favorite vanilla cake batter, these cupcakes are light and springy and topped off with my recently shared vanilla frosting recipe. The sprinkle filling can be easily color-customized to suit any occasion, and I’ll show you how to use your favorite colors to add a pretty swirl to the frosting!

    Vanilla Pinata Cupcake Filled with sprinkles

    Today’s Pinata Cupcakes are exactly what I need after mother nature dropped over half a foot of snow on me on the first day of Spring!

    They’re light, cheery, colorful, and the perfect way to add some brightness to your day, which is especially helpful if your day is otherwise blinding white from this springtime snowstorm!.

    The best part is that these Pinata Cupcakes are so simple to make! Making them is as simple as baking a batch of vanilla cupcakes (you can, of course, substitute any flavor, but you can’t go wrong with these), making a minor incision, filling with sprinkles, and topping with frosting!

    Let’s get into the details and break down exactly how you can make your own Pinata Cupcakes.

    Overhead view of frosted pinata cupcakes

    How to Make Pinata Cupcakes

    You’ll want to start with a solid cupcake recipe, one that’s not too light and delicate as you need it to be sturdy enough to withstand being carved.  I used my vanilla cake recipe for the base of these pinata cupcakes, if you haven’t tried that recipe yet this is a great excuse to do so.

    Let the cupcakes cool completely before carving into them, and once they’ve cooled use a knife to cut a hole about ยพ-1″ in diameter into the center of the cupcake, cutting about 1″ deep.

    Remove the core that you’ve just cut out and slice off the bottom, reserving about ยผ″ of the top. You’ll use this use as your plug to cover your sprinkle filling and to give you a level surface on which to pipe your frosting.

    Carving a hole in the center of vanilla cupcakes to make Pinata Cupcakes

    Now comes the fun part: the sprinkles!

    You can use your favorite variety of sprinkles in your favorite colors. I like to make my own sprinkle blends that I use for most of my decorations.

    A jar of colorful sprinkles

    Each Pinata Cupcake center should hold about 1 Tablespoon of sprinkles, but add as many as you need, filling each cavity to just below the top of the cupcake.  Return your reserved cupcake “plug” and gently press it down over the sprinkles so that it is level with the rest of the cupcake.

    Now our Pinata Cupcakes are ready for their frosting!

    You can, of course, use your favorite variety of frosting (I have a cream cheese frosting and a chocolate frosting you may want to check out), but for today’s recipe I’m using my vanilla frosting that I recently shared. It’s easy to make, great for piping, and colors beautifully.

    A piping bag that's been painted with food coloring stripes to make a swirled frosting

    How to add a colorful swirl to my cupcake frosting:

    To decorate your cupcakes as you seen in these photos, you’ll need a large piping bag fitted with an open star tip (I used an Ateco 848), your favorite food coloring colors (I recommend choosing no more than 3 for the effect shown here), and a clean, never-before-used paintbrush.

    Coloring the frosting is simple, all you need to do is dab a small amount of food coloring onto your paint brush and then use it to draw a straight line (as straight as possible, as you can see in the photo above, mine are a bit crooked, but it still turned out fine!) up the inside of the piping bag. Repeat with the same color on the opposite side of the bag.

    Clean and dry your paintbrush, and then repeat with your second and then third color.  Make sure to space each line evenly across the piping bag.

    A colorful frosted cupcake

    While I really love filling my cupcakes with sprinkles, you can of course use mini M&Ms or other small candies that you think would be appropriate!

    Enjoy!

    Piñata cupcake: topped with vanilla frosting, sprinkles pouring out of center

    Piñata Cupcakes

    How to make brightly colored surprise-inside cupcakes! These are soft vanilla cupcakes filled with sprinkles and topped off with vanilla buttercream frosting!
    5 from 24 votes
    Print Pin Rate
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    Course: cupcakes
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 cupcakes
    Calories: 201kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
    • ¼ cup (60 ml) avocado oil or vegetable oil or canola oil
    • ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
    • 2 eggs room temperature preferred
    • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour
    • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ⅔ cup buttermilk
    • 1 batch Vanilla Frosting
    • Food coloring optional, I recommend using gel food coloring

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare cupcake tin by lining a 12 count muffin tin with cupcake liners
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl using an electric mixer) cream together the butter, canola oil and sugar until creamy and well-combined.
      ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature, ¼ cup (60 ml) avocado oil or vegetable oil or canola oil, ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
    • Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
      2 eggs
    • Stir in vanilla extract.
      1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
      1 ½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
    • Using a spatula and gently hand-mixing, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined after each addition. The batter should be smooth and completely combined, but avoid over-mixing.
      ⅔ cup buttermilk
    • Evenly divide batter into your prepared muffin tin (I use an ice cream scoop to neatly portion the batter), filling each liner ⅔-¾ of the way full (do NOT overfill) and bake on 350F (175C) for 17 minutes.
    • When the cupcakes are finished baking, the surface should spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean with few moist crumbs (no wet batter).
    • Allow cupcakes to cool completely before continuing.  
    • Once cupcakes have cooled completely, use a knife to cut a hole about 1" in diameter and 1" deep into the center of each cupcake.  I carve a hole using the knife and gently lift out the center.  Cut the bottom off of each insert and set aside the top, which will serve as the plug for your cupcakes.
      Cupcake with center cut out
    • Fill each carved hole with sprinkles (about 1 Tbsp), filling just below the brim of the cupcake.  Top with your cupcake plug and gently press down.  Top with vanilla frosting.
    • To get the colorful swirls shown in the pictures, you will need a large piping bat fitted with a large star tip (I used an Ateco 848) and a small, clean, never used paintbrush.  Dab a small drop of food coloring on the paintbrush and then use it to draw 2-3 stripes up the side of your frosting bag.  Clean and dry the paintbrush well, and then repeat with two other colors.  Fill the bag with frosting, and pipe over cooled, filled cupcakes. 
      1 batch Vanilla Frosting, Food coloring
      Striped of color in frosting bag
    • These cupcakes keep well when stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or 1 week in the refrigerator.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 74mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

    Pinata Cupcake with sprinkles spilling out of center onto plate

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. ???

      May 09, 2021 at 10:58 am

      5 stars
      i like the cupcakes there realy good

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 09, 2021 at 9:42 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Marcelle

          July 15, 2022 at 1:56 am

          Can this recipe be converted into a cake? If so, please help me with the baking time?

        • Sam

          July 15, 2022 at 1:41 pm

          Hi Marcelle! I would follow the instructions on my vanilla cake to make these into a cake. ๐Ÿ™‚

        • Gina

          May 27, 2023 at 6:00 pm

          Can they be frozen and thawed and then filled? Or will freezing them ruin the texture and make them difficult to cut and fill? Have to make a lot of these for a birthday, so it would be nice to make them before hand and then just have to fill them the day before. Thanks ๐Ÿ™‚

        • Sam

          May 31, 2023 at 9:44 pm

          Hi Gina! I think that should work just fine. ๐Ÿ™‚

    2. Tiffany

      December 24, 2020 at 7:28 pm

      Hi Sam.

      I would like to make this recipe and use the same type of sprinkles that you used in the bag with the gray label, pictured with the last picture up top. Can you tell me where you got them from please? Thank you in advance! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
      • Sam

        December 27, 2020 at 9:06 pm

        Hi Tiffany! I actually made this blend myself. I buy a bunch of different sprinkles from Country Kitchen Sweetart and make my own blend. I hope to one day be able to sell my blends but it’s a long process. Sorry I can’t be more helpful here. ๐Ÿ™

        Reply
    3. Maddy

      December 22, 2020 at 10:39 am

      5 stars
      After making your incredible carrot cake cupcakes last week, I decided to make these this week for a friend’s birthday. They were so much fun to make, came out so cute and were delicious too. They tasted like Publix cupcakes for anyone who lives in the south! Also, if you are feeling lazy like I was I recommend the brand “Fancy Sprinkles” for a fun sprinkle blend that looks similar to Sam’s. Thank you Sam!!!

      Reply
      • Sam

        December 22, 2020 at 12:15 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Maddy! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    4. Jada

      December 16, 2020 at 3:41 pm

      5 stars
      Hi, I Love All Of Your Recipes. I Was Wondering If You Have A Viedo On How To Do The Diffrent Colors To Make The Pretty Design Swirl ? I Am More Of An Visual Learner. Thankyou For Your Time In Sharing Your Recipes. Looking Foward To Trying More.

      Reply
      • Sam

        December 16, 2020 at 9:28 pm

        Thank you Jada! Unfortunately I have not made a video of this but I do have a short section on how I do it in the actual post.

        Reply
    5. Simone

      October 05, 2020 at 1:27 pm

      Hello again!

      Is this recipe soft and fluffy like the vanilla cupcakes? I compared the two and and the recipe is different. I just love the vanilla cupcake recipe thatโ€™s why.๐Ÿค—

      Reply
      • Sam

        October 05, 2020 at 9:05 pm

        Hi Simone! Yes this is also a soft and fluffy cupcake. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    6. Amy Miljavac

      October 01, 2020 at 2:23 pm

      Hi!! So first I think maybe I used to much frosting on each one as the batch didn’t even cover 12 cupcakes lol. Also, mine came out more like “Princess Poppy and the Trolls spit all over it” as my husband said haha. I did three colors, two stripes each. There was no white though…it just all came out blue pink and purple. What can I do to fix this?

      Reply
      • Sam

        October 01, 2020 at 9:19 pm

        Haha, the visual made me laugh! I hope it still tasted good! So this definitely sounds like too much food coloring was used. For my frosting in the photos I just painted several thin and faint stripes of color on the inside of the bag and did not color the frosting, just left it white (you can see how it looks in the photo in the post). I also do not paint all the way down to the bottom, you can see again in the photo about how low I went with my stripes. If you go all the way to the tip it can make the color more bold.
        I hope that helps! I will have to do a video of how I make this.

        Reply
    7. Megan

      September 03, 2020 at 7:43 pm

      I saw that you said you use gel food coloring, but do you think it would work with liquid??

      Reply
      • Sam

        September 03, 2020 at 9:55 pm

        Hi Megan! I’m not sure the liquid stuff would stay in the piping bag quite the same way.

        Reply
    8. Abbey

      August 28, 2020 at 1:15 pm

      5 stars
      These cupcakes look so good!!! What kind of food dye did you use? Gel or liquid? thanks!

      Reply
      • Sam

        August 28, 2020 at 10:20 pm

        Hi Abbey! I really like using gel food coloring. I hope you love them! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    9. Belinda

      August 03, 2020 at 10:16 pm

      I was wondering, Is the icing on it buttercream icing or frosting? Is there a difference between the two? Thanks

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        August 04, 2020 at 8:13 am

        Hi, Belinda! For this recipe, I use a classic vanilla buttercream frosting. The difference between frosting and icing is that frosting is thick and fluffy, and is used to coat inside/outside layers of a cake. Icing is thinner and glossier than frosting and can be used as a glaze or for detailed decorating. I hope that helps! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    10. Anvi

      May 07, 2020 at 11:22 am

      This is Awesome! This just made my cupcake game a lot higher

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        May 07, 2020 at 2:49 pm

        I am so glad that you enjoyed the cupcakes, Anvi! Thanks for trying my recipe. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    11. judy

      January 27, 2020 at 10:47 am

      I am making these for a baby shower. Can I make them two days ahead of time. Will the color bleed? Will they stay fresh?

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        January 27, 2020 at 10:50 am

        Hi, Judy! Making them in two days in advance will be fine. You shouldn’t have any issues. I hope that the cupcakes are a hit at the shower. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    12. Kate

      September 12, 2019 at 7:41 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe! I used it in a cooking class and the teacher couldn’t believe they were made from scratch. Very tasty, and clear instructions.

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        September 12, 2019 at 9:05 pm

        I am so happy that you enjoyed the Pinata Cupcakes, Kate. I have glad you impressed your teacher and found the recipe easy to follow. Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Tammy

          October 14, 2021 at 12:33 pm

          5 stars
          I reaaally loved these vanilla cupcakes.. so light and fluffy! So light in fact that the tricky part was cutting the tiny holes and recapping them.
          My Buttercream frosting came out great. I would just suggest to anyone with a warm kitchen like mine to put the finished frosting bowl in the fridge for a few minutes while preparing your piping bag otherwise it can over soften a bit, and wonโ€™t sit up tall on the cakes. Great recipe tho, and while on the skilled side was still very fun to make and eat!

        • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

          October 14, 2021 at 5:26 pm

          We’re so happy they turned out for you, Tammy! Enjoy!

    13. Sara Joy

      August 06, 2019 at 4:26 pm

      Can these be made the day ahead without the sprinkles getting โ€˜soggyโ€™?

      Reply
      • Sam

        August 07, 2019 at 9:15 pm

        Yup! I’ve never had a problem with the sprinkles getting soggy. Enjoy! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    14. Tyna

      June 21, 2019 at 10:31 am

      With the food color technique with the frosting, did you only paint them on one side like that, or are there some on the other side as well? I would like to try this with red and blue for fouth of July!

      Reply
      • Sam

        June 22, 2019 at 11:33 pm

        Hi Tyna! I painted stripes around the whole bag (though you could do just one side if you wanted). In the overhead picture it is hard to see the stripes on one side, though.

        Reply
    15. Denise

      June 14, 2019 at 12:52 pm

      Would you share your sprinkle blend you used for the center of your cupcakes? And did you use gel food coloring with the paint brush as stripes inside the large piping bag? Thanks

      Reply
      • Sam

        June 15, 2019 at 9:45 pm

        I actually make my own blends, I made this one using a bunch of different sprinkles that I had on hand. I usually buy my sprinkles from countrykitchensa.com. I did use gel food coloring (Americolor). Enjoy!

        Reply
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