4th of July Cupcakes
America is our sweet land of liberty, where from every mountainside, recycling rings! In just a few years, you’ve helped food and beverage carton recycling access increase from zero to 64 million households – that’s over 60% of the country! Naturally, we want to celebrate the 4th of July while also encouraging you to recycle your cartons.
We’ve put together a recipe that’s both fun and fuss-free, with a follow-up kids craft to boot! The recipe uses liquid egg, which take up less space in the fridge and is easy to measure, making this recipe very kid-friendly and less likely to make a mess. When you’re done with the liquid egg carton, clean it out and teach your kids how to make patriotic candy boxes like these. They’ll love giving them away at the party and then recycling the cartons at the end of the day.
This cupcake recipe is so simple that it leaves plenty of time for the fun part: Decorating! We were most inspired by these hi-hat cupcakes dipped in red candy, these firecracker cupcakes that added red licorice, and these red velvet cupcakes topped with whipped cream and fresh blueberries.
Pro-tip: You can usually replace regular eggs with liquid egg in a baking recipe this like, unless you’re making a merengue. Just swap 1/4 cup liquid egg for every whole large egg in your recipe, or use it in reverse if needed (1 whole egg for every 1/4 cup of egg substitute listed in a recipe).
4th of July Cupcakes
Ingredients*
- 1 box of your favorite cake mix
- ¾ C liquid eggs (they come in a carton, in the refrigerated section of the grocery store)
- 1 C water
- 1/3 C oil
- Red, white, and blue frosting
- Cupcake liners (or mini cupcake liners if you want to feed a crowd)
- A mix of your favorite toppings, such as: Fresh whipped cream and festive fruit like strawberries and blueberries, colored sprinkles, and even red candy to be melted and dipped in. Check our inspiration cupcake links in the intro for more ideas.
Directions:
- Set your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add cupcake liners to cupcake pan.
- Blend cake mix, water, oil and liquid eggs in a large bowl until moistened. Beat with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes or whisk by hand for 2 minutes.
- Pour mix into cupcake pan, filling about 2/3 of the way up.
- Cook in cupcake pan for 18-22 minutes.
- Cool cake completely before frosting, at least 10-15 minutes.
Double check the cake mix to ensure that these ingredient ratios and directions line up. And remember, one egg = ¼ C egg substitute.
And remember, the cupcakes are just the first part of the kid-friendly 4th of July fun! They can make patriotic candy boxes like these, and then recycle the leftover cartons at the end of the day.
