Mardi Gras Cupcakes
Celebrate Fat Tuesday with a batch of Mardi Gras cupcakes! These brown sugar rum cupcakes are topped with cream cheese frosring and decorated with festive purple, green and gold sprinkles.
A celebration dubbed Fat Tuesday needs a special dessert, and these Mardi Gras cupcakes are just the thing! Super tender and moist, they’re flavored with brown sugar, cinnamon, and rum extract—bringing the warmth and spice of New Orleans straight to your kitchen. This dessert will make you feel like dancing down Bourbon Street!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Reliable recipe. I used my brown sugar cupcake recipe as the inspiration for the recipe. I made some minor adjustments to include more festive flavors!
- Traditional flavors. The cupcakes have some rum extract, cinnamon and brown sugar. These flavors are reminiscent of king cake (and bananas foster french toast!)
- Festive colors. Decorated with purple, green and gold sanding sugar, the colors represent justice, faith and power respectively.
Ingredient Notes
- Sour cream: Use full-fat sour cream that is room temperature. Plain yogurt is a good substitute.
- Milk: Whole milk will provide the best moisture, but low-fat milk can be used as a substitute.
- Rum extract: To add a festive flavor, use rum extract. It is easy to find at your local grocery store.
- Brown sugar: Use light brown sugar to add a subtle molasses flavor.
- Baking powder and soda: These leavening agents help the cupcakes rise. Check that they are fresh and not expired.
- Butter: Unsalted butter that is room temperature is preferred. Different brands of salted butter have various amounts of salt added so it’s best if the salt is measured and added separately.
- Cream cheese: Use block-style cream cheese that is full fat for the best results. It’s thicker than the kind from the tub and will hold its shape better as frosting.
- Confectioners’ sugar: Also known as powdered sugar, this sweetens the frosting.
- Sanding sugar: Purple, green and gold sanding sugar is used to add the Mardi Gras colors to each cupcake.
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Variations
Use a different frosting. Not a fan of cream cheese? Make classic buttercream frosting. Another good alternative is brown butter frosting.
Skip the rum extract. If you don’t like the taste of rum, omit it and substitute with vanilla extract instead (same measurement).
Make mini cupcakes. Use a mini muffin tin to bake mini cupcakes. Fill each cup two-thirds full. Baking time will be 8 to 10 minutes.
Add cupcake toppers. If you’re looking for more Mardi Gras flare, add some toppers. I love these masquerade and fleur de lys toppers.
How to Make Mardi Gras Cupcakes
- Whisk together the dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar together until creamy. Mix in the eggs one at a time. Add the sour cream, rum extract and vegetable oil. Mix until combined.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
- Transfer batter to muffin tin lined with paper liners. Fill each cup 2/3 full.
- Bake cupcakes at 350 F for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with little to no crumbs. Cool completely.
- To make the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Add confectioners’ sugar and salt, then mix until combined. Mix in the vanilla. Transfer frosting to a piping bag with desired tip. Frost cupcakes and decorate with purple, green and gold sanding sugar.
Expert Tips
Use room temperature ingredients. They are easier to mix and create a smooth batter. As a result, the cupcakes will have a better texture.
Do not over-mix. When adding the flour mixture and the milk to the batter, mix just until combined. Over–mixing during this step will cause the cupcakes to be dense instead of fluffy.
Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting. If they are still warm, the frosting will melt. For the best cream cheese frosting, use block-style cream cheese. It keeps its shape better since it’s thicker.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
Make ahead the frosting and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours before using. Let it sit at room temperature until soft enough to stir before transferring to a piping bag.
Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They will keep at room temperature for a few hours while serving.
Freeze for up to 3 months. Flash freeze frosted cupcakes for an hour or until the frosting is firm. Individually wrap the cupcakes in plastic wrap, then store in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn. Defrost in the refrigerator before bringing to room temperature.
Recipe FAQ
Most likely the batter was over-mixed causing there to be too many air bubbles. It’s also possible the cupcakes were under-baked. Check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer for accuracy.
This may happen if you are using low-fat cream cheese or the kind that is sold in a tub. Block-style is thicker and holds its shape better. This may also occur if you are baking in a warm or humid climate. Place the frosting in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes, then stir again before using.
I have not tested this recipe in cake pans, but it should work. If using 8 or 9-inch pans, adjust baking time to 25 minutes.
Related Recipes
Here are some more festive recipes to bake for Mardi Gras!
Did you love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below and if you REALLY loved it, consider leaving a comment further down the page.
Get the Recipe: Mardi Gras Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 ¾ cups (224 g) all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup (57 g or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (75 g) sour cream (or full-fat plain yogurt), room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon rum extract, or vanilla
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) whole milk, room temperature
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup (8 oz or 226 g) block-style cream cheese, softened, but still cool
- ½ cup 113 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups (240 g) confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Green, purple and gold sanding sugar (or sprinkles)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a cupcake pan with baking cups.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the rum extract, sour cream and vegetable oil.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk (So it goes flour, milk, flour, milk, flour). Mix until batter is uniform and smooth.
- Fill baking cups about 2/3 full and bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack, and allow them to cool to room temperature before frosting.
- For the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar and salt, then mix on medium speed until combined. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Transfer frosting to a piping bag with desired tip. Frost cooled cupcakes and garnish with sanding sugar.
