With the summer months in full swing, how about the best and cutest patriotic cupcakes to elevate any patriotic occasion? With bright red, white, and blue hues, here are the most darling 4 ways to decorate patriotic cupcakes that will be the star of any summertime celebration.

Frost all four, choose a couple, or stick to one design – it’s up to you! Each of the four designs have a step-by-step tutorial just for you. So grab your piping tips and let’s frost some patriotic cupcakes together!

Here’s our lineup below – each one has the piping tips and tools you’ll need, as well as a photo for every single step along the way.

  1. Red, White, and Blue Swirl Cupcake
  2. Piped Patriotic Flag Cupcakes
  3. Red, White, and Blue Firework Cupcakes
  4. Patriotic Ruffle Cupcakes

Where to start?

In order to decorate the cupcakes, we need some cupcakes to frost, right? I suggest baking up my vanilla cake into cupcakes. Its the same recipe you’ll see there, but just bake the batter into 24 cupcakes for 12-15 minutes. Easy peasy! It makes 24 beautiful white cupcakes that can be tinted easily into red, white, and blue hues, or you can leave them plain for a simple design, too.

1. Red, White, and Blue Swirl Cupcake

A gorgeous festive swirl of buttercream can easily be made with just one piping tip and a couple of other tools.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 2 dozen cupcakes, baked and cooled
  • 1 Batch of Vanilla Buttercream split three ways – tinted Red, Blue, and leaving some of it white.
  • Wilton 1A piping tip
  • Piping Bags
  • Plastic wrap
  • Scissors

Method:
Step 1: Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Pipe a thick line of red buttercream onto the
plastic wrap.

Step 2: Add stripes of white and blue buttercream next to the red.

Step 3: Carefully roll the buttercream into a log with the plastic wrap around it.

Step 4: Twist the ends.

Step 5: Slice one end off with scissors and fit a piping bag with the Wilton 1A piping tip.

Step 6: Place the log of buttercream, sliced-off end first, into the piping bag.

Steps 7 to 9: Start by holding the piping bag perpendicular to the cupcake, then squeeze continuously while swirling around the center. Gently release when you reach the outside of the cupcake.

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2. Piped Patriotic Flag Cupcakes

Old Glory is now on a delicious cupcake! These are super easy to make and require only one style of piping tip and different piping bags. Note – this design is easiest when you either have a coupler to switch the tip out with, or have three of the star piping tip so you don’t have to switch anything at all.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 24 Cupcakes, baked and cooled
  • 1 batch of vanilla buttercream, split three ways and tinted red, blue, and left white.
  • 3 Wilton #18 piping tips (or use a coupler if you don’t have three tips)
  • Piping Bags

Method:

Step 1:
With a piping bag fitted with a Wilton #18 piping tip and blue buttercream, pipe a small rosette
in the top center of the cupcake.

Step 2:
Pipe another rosette right underneath, then three to the left to form a triangle of blue rosettes in
the top left corner.

Step 3:
With the white buttercream and same piping tip, pipe a shell pattern starting from the blue rosette
at the top to the end of the cupcake on the right.

Step 4:
Switch to the red buttercream, and pipe another shell border right underneath the white stripe.

Steps 5 to 9:
Repeat the pattern until the rest of the cupcake is covered.

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3. Red, White, and Blue Firework Cupcake

Bursting with red, white, and blue buttercream, these firework cupcakes will light up your table spread for any patriotic gathering! Plus, they’re super fun to make – always a win, right?

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 24 Cupcakes, baked and cooled
  • 1 batch of vanilla buttercream, split three ways and tinted red, blue, and left white.
  • 3x #233 grass piping tips (or use a coupler if you don’t have three tips).

Method:

Step 1: With a piping bag fitted with a Wilton #233 piping tip and red buttercream, pipe a rim of “grass”
on the outside edge of the cupcake.

Step 2 to 3:
Repeat this same pattern with white buttercream in a smaller circle just inside the red.

Step 4:
Switch to blue, and pipe a small dot of grass in the center to finish the design.

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4. Patriotic Ruffle Cupcakes

These are definitely a favorite! Ruffled like the classic old glory decorations, this cupcake is simple to make and have a huge wow factor for the summer holidays!

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 24 Cupcakes, baked and cooled
  • 1 batch of vanilla buttercream, split three ways and tinted red, blue, and left white.
  • 3x Wilton #103 piping tips (or any other small petal tip; use a
    coupler if you don’t have three tips)

Method:

Step 1: With a piping bag fitted with a Wilton #103 piping tip and red buttercream, pipe a ruffle around
the outer edge of the cupcake: hold the larger end of the tip against the cupcake while moving the
tip out and in while turning the cupcake.

Step 2 to 3: Continue the ruffle until it goes all around the outside of the cupcake.

Step 4: Switch to white buttercream, and pipe another ruffle in a second row a little closer to the center
of the cupcake.

Step 5: Switch to blue buttercream, and pipe a small ruffle in the very center of the cupcake.

I can’t wait to see your patriotic cupcakes!!! Make sure to tag me @bakingwithblondie or #bakingwithblondie so I can join in on all the fun on social media.

Happy Baking!

xo, Mandy