M&M Cupcakes

These are M&M cupcakes made with vanilla cake baked with mini M&Ms and a vanilla buttercream frosting topped with mini M&M’s. They’re great cupcakes for kids’ birthdays!

As far as M&M cupcake recipes go, this is an easy M&M cupcake recipe that’s great for birthday parties. Kids love M&M’s (my kids included!) and they love eating these cupcakes.

The cake itself is a vanilla cake and the mini M&M’s are mixed into the batter before baking. They give the cupcake a funfetti look that’s really festive and colorful.

I kept the frosting simple with a traditional vanilla buttercream so that the M&M’s are the star of this cupcake.

Check out my cupcake baking guide that answers all of your questions about baking, ingredient substitutes, and decorating the perfect cupcakes!

Ingredients for M&M Cupcakes

• Butter
• White Granulated Sugar
• Large Eggs
• Pure Vanilla Extract
• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Milk
• Mini M&M’s

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Ingredients

• Confectioners’ Sugar
• Butter
• Milk
• Pure Vanilla Extract
• Mini M&M’s, for topping

How to Make M&M Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line muffin pans with 24 cupcake liners.
• In an electric mixer or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl (or use a sifter) and use a whisk to break up any clumps. Begin alternating dry ingredients and milk as you add them to the mixing bowl. Carefully fold the M&M’s into the batter with a spatula to prevent too much color from coming off into the batter.
• Add approximately 3 tablespoons (about ⅔ full) of cupcake batter to each cupcake liner. Bake for 14-16 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly touched or a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Allow to cool.

How to Make Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1. In an electric mixer or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, add butter, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of milk. Slowly add confectioners’ sugar. Add an additional tablespoon of milk if needed. Frost fully cooled cupcakes and top with mini M&M’s.

What to Do if Frosting is Too Thick

If the frosting is too thick, add an additional tablespoon of milk, one at a time. It can easily go from too thick/dry to runny if you add a lot of milk.

What to Do if Frosting is Too Thin

When frosting becomes too thin, the best thing to do is add more powdered sugar until it thickens.

How to Decorate with Buttercream Frosting

For this recipe, I used Wilton’s 2D icing tip, which is a large star tip.

If you do not want to use icing tips, the easiest way to decorate cupcakes is with a butter knife or small icing spatula. When I use them, I spin the cupcake in my hand and create a swirl in the frosting.

Variations for M&M Cupcakes

I have not personally used regular-sized M&M’s in this recipe, but I am sure it can still be baked the same with the batter.

Another way I have seen M&M cupcakes made is by using a spoon to scoop out the center of the cupcakes after they’ve baked, and then pouring a small amount of M&M’s into the cupcake.

Alternatively, they can just as easily be filled with a cream filling too.

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• 50 Delicious Summer Cupcakes
• Birthday Cake Drop Cookies
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• Hershey's Chocolate Cupcakes
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• Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting