Introduction: How to Make Rainbow Cupcakes

About: I'm just a lady who likes making stuff. I got my degree in engineering but also enjoy cooking, sewing, knitting, gardening and backpacking, among other things.

I kept seeing these pictures of amazing multicolored cupcakes online and wanted to try them out myself.  They were surprisingly easy, tasted delicious and looked awesome!




UPDATE: I've changed this a bit.   I have a few 3 month promemberships for getting featured on the homepage.  Since I already have a pro membership, I am giving TWO away to the first two people who make these cupcakes and post pictures in the comments!

UPDATE: both 3 month pro memberships have been won.  Congrats!




Also, if you like this instructable, please vote for it in the DIY Wedding contest!

Step 1: Collect Ingredients

For this recipe, you will need:
-One 18.25 oz box of white or yellow cake mix
-4 eggs (instead of what is calls for on the box)
-1 cup butter milk (instead of water that is called for on the box)
-Vegetable oil (amount called for on the box)
-food coloring

Other stuff you will need:
Cupcake tin (this makes about 24 cupcakes)
1 can of frosting
cupcake papers
sprinkles, or anything else you want to use to decorate

Step 2: Make Batter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Mix with a hand mixer on low for 30 seconds until all ingredients are mixed, then mix on high for 2 minutes.
Separate batter into smaller bowls, one for each color that you want in your cup cakes.  I had 5 smaller bowls for red, yellow, green, blue and purple.

Step 3: Color the Batter

Read the directions on the food coloring and color the batters accordingly.  Make sure they are thoroughly mixed and there are no clumps of food coloring left in the batters. 

Step 4: Layer the Batter

Put the cup cake papers in the cup cake tin.  I used foil papers so that you couldn't see the layers of color until you opened it up!
Start with the color you want at the bottom of the cupcake, in my case, that was purple.  Continue layering up until you get to the color you want on top.  Make sure not to fill the cup cake papers over two thirds full, otherwise, the tops of the cupcakes will overflow and stick to the baking tin.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit  for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. 
Take them out of the oven and let them cool before moving on to the next step (I know!  This is the most difficult part!)

Step 5: Decorate

Once the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them using the icing of your choice (I used vanilla, from a can) and decorate however you want.  I covered the tops completely so that you couldn't tell how colorful they were until you took the paper off.

Step 6: Amaze Your Friends! Eat Your Cupcakes!

The most fun part of these cupcakes was watching peoples' reaction when they took the paper off and bit into them!  Not only were they delicious, but they were also awesome!


These would be so fun for bake sales, parties, or even a fun alternative to a pricey wedding cake.  Whenever you make them, they will be sure to grab attention!

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