Our birthday cupcakes make a great alternative to big bakes for your little ones' special day - and are so much easier to transport too.
If you've been tasked with making your kid's birthday cakes this year and you fancy something a little less daunting, how about whipping up a batch of birthday-themed cupcakes?
We’ve got recipes that require minimal decoration, such as our classic fairy cakes, and others that take a little time but will look very impressive on your kid's party food table like our animal cupcakes. If you’re hosting a colourful theme you might like our easy rainbow cupcakes the best or for animal lovers the panda cupcakes are adorable.
Decorating cakes is a very affordable and fun activity to include in your party schedule and each cupcake can go straight into their party bag to take home. So you don't need to stress about how to cut a birthday cake to perfection. Cupcakes make a great food gift too for the birthday boy or girl, just make sure you check allergies and dietary requirements before you get baking.
Easy birthday cupcakes to make for kids
1. Mary Berry iced fairy cakes
Makes: 12 | Total time: 30 mins, plus decorating
Mary Berry’s easy recipe uses a five-ingredient batter and an all-in-one method so there are minimal steps and washing up. The kids can help measure the ingredients and, if they are big enough, mix everything together with an electric mixer too.
These are the perfect choice of cupcakes if you want to make a couple of batches for the kids to decorate at the party. You can make them the day before and keep them in an airtight container until everyone has taken their place at the table. Depending on how many kids you have joining in the fun, consider placing a few bowls of icing and sweets for decoration along the table so that everyone can reach what they need.
Get the recipe: Fairy cakes
2. Butterfly buns
Makes: 10 | Total time: 40 mins
In just 15 minutes you’ll have 10 perfectly fluffy cupcakes, baked and ready for the tops to be trimmed into butterflies. We’ve filled the cakes with a little jam and buttercream but why not make them extra exciting and fill them with a handful of Smarties or sweets as a surprise?
The recipe is easy to scale up or down depending on how many cakes you’d like and for a little extra flavour, consider adding some lemon zest to the cake batter.
Get the recipe: Butterfly buns
3. Rainbow cupcakes
Makes: 10-16 | Total time: 45 mins
Little ones will be impressed with the different layers in these rainbow cupcakes and they are easier to bake than you might think. We’ve used a classic ratio of 2:1 for the buttercream topping but if you’re feeling fancy, consider making an Italian meringue icing to pipe on top. You could blow torch the tops, just before handing them out to the party guests.
You can freeze undecorated cupcakes, simply wrap them in clingfilm, and defrost them thoroughly before icing and eating.
Get the recipe: Rainbow cupcakes
4. Chocolate cupcakes
Serves: 12 | Total time: 50 mins
Our chocolate cupcakes only take 20 minutes to bake and have a rich chocolate buttercream that you can pipe or spread on top. You can also poke an extra chocolate treat on the top if you like. Maltesers, truffles, or Ferrero Rocher are all great choices but you could even use mini brownie bites to decorate the cakes if you fancy. This recipe will make enough for 12, regular-sized cupcakes but if you can find mini cases and have a suitable tin, we always think they look sweet.
In our recipe, we use cocoa powder for the chocolate flavour but feel free to drizzle the cakes with melted chocolate too for an indulgent finish.
Get the recipe: Chocolate cupcakes
5. Animal cupcakes
Makes: 10 | Total time: 40 mins
Annabel Karmel’s animal-face cupcakes are simple but effective and use a selection of sweets, chocolate, and biscuits to achieve a striking design. If you’re setting this up as an activity at the party, consider making a couple of cakes in advance so the kids can copy the design for themselves.
We’d recommend colouring some pots of buttercream in advance and putting it in little piping bags to keep the mess to a minimum. Although the cupcakes only take 20 minutes to bake, if you’re short on time you could use some readymade cupcakes and simply use this recipe as inspiration for the decoration.
Get the recipe: Animal cupcakes
6. Dairy free cupcakes
Makes: 12 | Total time: 26 mins
You only need five ingredients to make these dairy-free cupcakes and the icing is so creamy we bet you won’t be able to tell it isn’t made with butter. Don’t forget to make sure any decorations you use are also dairy-free.
This recipe will make 12 cupcakes but you can easily double the ingredients to make a big batch. Display the cakes on a cake stand or bake enough so that you can arrange them across the table to spell out your little one’s age or initials.
Get the recipe: Dairy-free cupcakes
7. Oreo cupcakes
Makes: 6-8 | Total time: 35 mins
This is one for all the cookies and cream lovers out there! There’s nothing quite like getting a cupcake AND a biscuit hit in one delicious treat and this easy recipe only has seven different ingredients.
We like to decorate with mini Oreos but using regular-sized ones looks good too and is arguably more generous. If you like this recipe, consider adapting it to use other popular biscuits. Custard creams, Bourbons, and Jammy Dodgers would all work well.
Get the recipe: Oreo cupcakes
8. Hidden shape cupcakes
Makes: 12 | Total time: 2 hours 20 mins
Not only do these cakes look impressive from the outside, but once you cut them in half you’ll see a pretty butterfly pattern too. If you want to cheat this recipe, use a shop-bought chocolate cake to stamp out the butterflies, or a shape of your choice like a star, and then make the cupcake batter as instructed. Doing this cuts down a couple of the steps and will help save you some time too.
We recommend leaving a note in the goodbye bag that suggests slicing the cakes in half before eating otherwise your hard work might go unnoticed.
Get the recipe: Hidden shape cupcakes
9. Banoffee cupcakes
Makes: 9 | Total time: 50 mins
Banana, caramel, and chocolate are a tried and tested combination that is oh-so tasty. The cakes are decorated with fresh whipped cream so if you want to get ahead, we recommend baking the cakes the day before.
You can whip the cream and transfer it to a piping bag. Then you just have to add the swirl of cream just before serving. Alternatively, you can use a standard buttercream which doesn’t require chilling in the fridge and will sit happily on the cakes for a day ahead. This recipe makes enough for nine cupcakes but you can easily double it if you want more.
Get the recipe: Banoffee cupcakes
10. Party streamer cupcakes
Makes: 12 | Total time: 1 hour 30 mins
Is it even a party if there aren’t streamers and party popper debris floating around? These cupcakes will look perfect on your buffet table and are easier to make than you might think.
The toppers are made from different coloured flower icing paste and we’ve added sprinkles and silver balls for added theatre too. You need to make the toppers two days ahead so that they dry out fully so this isn’t a good choice if you need some last-minute inspiration.
Get the recipe: Party streamer cupcakes
11. Coke float cupcakes
Makes: 12 | Total time: 1 hour 20 mins
Your kids might not get the nostalgic factor of these cupcakes, but we’re certain they’ll be fans of the flavours. The cupcakes are drizzled with a delicious sticky cola syrup and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you need something that will sit at room temperature for a while, consider using a smaller scoop of buttercream that looks like ice cream instead.
Using straws or mini ice cream spoons to decorate is a cute addition but not essential to the finished cakes. The cakes will be kept for three days and are perfect for making ahead. Then all you have to do is serve with the ice cream. It’s a great option if you want to serve the cakes as dessert.
Get the recipe: Coke float cupcakes
12. Maltesers cupcakes
Makes: 12 | Total time: 35 mins
Lorraine Pascale’s easy recipe can be made even more indulgent by swapping some of the flour for cocoa powder. Don’t feel you have to stick to classic Maltesers for the decoration on top. You can buy so many different Malteser treats now that you could top the cakes with a Malteser truffle, bunny, or piece of bar instead. In fact, why not use a combination?
The cakes take around 25 minutes to bake and will need to cool before you ice them but both can be made the day before if you want to get ahead.
Get the recipe: Maltesers cupcakes
13. Smarties cupcakes
Makes: 12 | Total time: 20 mins
When it comes to chocolate cupcakes, this recipe promises a triple hit. There’s a chocolate sponge, chocolate icing, and a generous scattering of chocolate Smarties to decorate. There are only four steps in the method and we’ve got a handy video for you to see exactly how they are made.
You can bake them with the kids before the party or let them decorate the cooked cakes with their friends.
Get the recipe: Smarties cupcakes
14. Panda cupcakes
Makes: 12 | Total time: 1 hour 30 mins
Victoria Threader is a cupcake pro and her recipe has a detailed description of exactly how to achieve the panda decoration. With a few clever techniques and a little patience, you’ll have 12 cupcakes that your little one will think you’ve bought from a professional bakery.
The sponge is flavoured with a little lime zest but you can swap for orange, or lemon or leave out the citrus if you prefer. A dash of vanilla essence is always a nice touch but for something richer, swap a little four for dark cocoa powder instead.
Get the recipe: Panda cupcakes
15. Pirate cupcakes
Makes: 12 | Total time: 2 hours 10 mins
These cupcakes are pretty theme-specific but you can use the principles to adapt the faces to your party decor. It might be fun to make a set of cupcakes with the basic faces on and then give the kids some icing pens so that they can draw on their facial features and hair.
We recommend investing in some basic cake-decorating tools to make the process as easy as possible.
Get the recipe: Pirate cupcakes
“I think cupcakes are a great choice for parties or celebrations because you don’t have to worry about cutting them and everyone gets the same portion size. They also tend to be a little easier and more forgiving to transport. Especially if you invest in a cupcake carrier case like this one.”
If you’re looking for a big cake to serve alongside your cupcakes, this chocolate cake recipe is one of our most popular. Take a look at our list of Frozen birthday cake ideas if your little one is obsessed with Elsa or these Bluey birthday cake ideas are sure to be a hit too.
For new parents, we’ve got lots of first birthday party ideas plus a list of kids' party games that everyone can take part in. If you’ve got a pre-teen whose becoming harder and harder to impress, we are sure you’ll find something worthy in our round-up of 13th birthday party ideas.
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