These Red, White and Blueberry Cupcakes are light, fluffy, and so festive! Perfect for patriotic holidays like Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day!

Red, White and Blueberry Cupcakes Recipe

How do you feel about food coloring? I must confess… I’m not a huge fan of it. So baking for patriotic holidays can be a bit of a struggle!

But not anymore!!! Because these adorable red, white, and blueberry cupcakes are naturally festive thanks to lots and lots of fresh berries. The base of this cute recipe is a simple white cupcake. I swirled some fresh blueberries and raspberries into the batter to create our red, white, and blueberry base. Then the cupcakes are topped with a swirl of cream cheese frosting. And finally, decorated with raspberries and blueberries. Both layers feature a fun red, white, and blue color scheme without a drop of food coloring!

These are also really fun to make with kiddos! You can bake and frost them, then give them a small bowl of berries and let them do the “decorating”.

Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success

What Ingredients do I need to make White Cupcakes with Berries?

butter: this cake calls for 4 ounces of unsalted butter, but salted will work in a pinch! simply reduce the amount of salt called for in the recipe by a 1/4 teaspoon.
sugar: for snow white colored cupcakes, be sure to use ALL granulated sugar.egg whites: you’ll need 4 large egg whites. but don’t throw those egg yolks away! you can place them in a small storage container and save them for another recipe.
lemon zest: adds a very light lemon flavor.
flour: because we want the moistest cupcakes possible, this recipe uses cake flour, which is extra finely ground and gives baked goods an extra soft texture. In grocery stores, you’ll find cake flour in the baking aisle. You can also buy it online here.
baking powder and baking soda: our rising agents.
salt: to balance out the flavors.
almond extract: adds a light almond flavor that goes great with the berries!
milk and sour cream: for moisture! be sure to use full-fat milk.
raspberries and blueberries: fresh are best, but frozen will work in a pinch! just don’t thaw them first!

And that’s it! I don’t use vanilla in this recipe, but you can add a splash. Just be aware that unless you’re using a clear colored vanilla extract, it may alter the color of your cupcakes.

You’ll also need cream cheese, butter, confectioners sugar, and cream to make the frosting. You’ll beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Then add in the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, then beat in the cream. It’s that easy!!!

How to bake Red White and Blue Cupcakes:

This might be a no-brainer, but you will need a cupcake or muffin tin for this recipe. I haven’t tested this using a different pan size so I cannot advise on how that would work. You’ll also need a stand mixer or electric hand mixer for this recipe! Unfortunately, this recipe cannot be made without an electric mixer, as the butter and sugar MUST be beaten at a high speed.

Now that you know what equipment you’ll need, let’s run through the process together:

The first thing you’ll want to do is preheat your oven to 350 and line your muffin tin with cupcake liners. After that you’ll beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Then gradually beat in the sugar, lemon zest, and almond extract and beat this mixture on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. At this point, you’ll want to reduce your mixer speed to low and add in those egg whites, a little bit at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, and beating well after each addition. ONE QUICK AND IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THE EGG WHITES: you must beat them before adding them to the batter. I go into detail on this in the recipe box below, but I just want to double stress how important this is! It only takes about 2 minutes, but it’s a crucial step in the batter coming together the right way. You want to beat them until the top is super foamy. LIKE THIS ↓

Finally, you’ll add in the milk and sour cream, then toss in the dry ingredients.

Toss the Berries in Flour

To avoid your berries sinking to the bottom of your cupcakes, give them a quick toss in a little flour before gently folding them into the batter.

Lastly, you’ll divide the batter evenly among the prepared pan and bake for about 22 minutes. You’ll want to bake the cupcakes until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Be sure to cool the cupcakes in the pan, placed on a cooling rack, for 15 minutes before removing them from the pans to cool completely.

I hope you bust out your baking cups and make these red, white and blue cupcakes for 4th of July this year!

More Cupcake Recipes:

White Chocolate Blueberry Cupcakes
Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
One Bowl Red Velvet Cupcakes (one of the few recipes I will use food coloring for lol)

IF YOU TRY THIS RECIPE FOR RED WHITE AND BLUEBERRY CUPCAKES, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW, AND DON’T FORGET TO SNAP A PIC AND TAG IT #BAKERBYNATURE ON INSTAGRAM! SEEING YOUR CREATIONS SERIOUSLY MAKES MY DAY ♥