St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes: Decorating Ideas and DIY Cupcake Wrappers

Updated on November 16, 2019
alissaroberts profile image
Alissa Roberts
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I am a mom of two sweet boys with another one on the way. I worked in the financial world for 5 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom.

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Celebrate with these festive three-leaf clover cupcakes!
Celebrate with these festive three-leaf clover cupcakes! | Source

How to Decorate St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

There is no better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than with some festive cupcakes. These yummy treats are sure to brighten any class party, the workplace, or can just put a smile on your little one's face. Decorate them with lucky clovers, brightly colored rainbows, or that much-wanted pot of gold.

For this year's batch of cupcakes, my boys and I decided to go all out with a green and white swirled cake batter topped with candy clovers and green sprinkles. We even got crafty and made our own cupcake wrappers.

So what are you waiting for? Go grab a cake mix and your muffin pans and get ready to make some festive cupcakes inspired by ole St. Patty himself...

An inside look of the cupcake once it is baked.
An inside look of the cupcake once it is baked. | Source

How to Make Green and White Swirled Cupcakes

To be completely honest, I thought this technique would make a striped pattern in the cupcake. After cutting down the center, we found a swirled look of the two colors, which thankfully my boys thought was even cooler. Here are step-by-step directions for making green and white swirled cupcakes.

  1. Follow instructions on the box to make the cake batter.
  2. Separate cake mix into one large bowl and one small bowl.
  3. Add the desired amount of green food coloring to a larger bowl and mix well. (We used 5 to 6 drops to achieve our green cake batter.)
  4. Alternate layers in baking cups. One spoonful of green cake mix, then the white mix. Finish with another layer of green on top. Make sure cups are only half full to assure proper baking.
  5. Bake in the oven for the specified time on the package. Let cool 10 minutes in pan. Take out and let cool an additional 30 minutes before adding icing.

What kind of icing tops your baked goodies?

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Buttercream Icing Recipe

I have never been a fan of store-bought icing, so I always use this buttercream icing recipe for my cupcakes given to me by my mom. It is so easy to make and tastes simply delicious. Trust me—sometimes I think my boys would rather eat the bowl of icing than anything else I make! Here are the directions to make your own homemade icing:

Ingredients

  • 1 stick of butter softened
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 1 pound of powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of milk (add more if too thick)
  • dash of salt

Directions

  1. Mix all the above ingredients with a mixer for 1-2 minutes.
  2. If making a colored icing, add desired food coloring and mix again.
  3. Spread on top of cupcakes once they are completely cooled.

A complete sugar overload ready and waiting!
A complete sugar overload ready and waiting! | Source
Gather all your supplies to make the cupcake wrappers.
Gather all your supplies to make the cupcake wrappers. | Source
My son working hard on the cupcake wrappers!
My son working hard on the cupcake wrappers! | Source

Cupcake Decorating Ideas

Candy Clover Design

For our clover design, we gathered all the green colored candy and treats out of our pantry. We tried a few designs with peanut M&Ms, regular M&Ms, gummy bears, gummy savers, and sugar sprinkles. Out of all of them, we agreed that the peanut M&Ms worked the best because it looked most like a clover. (Be careful not to serve these to anyone who may have a peanut allergy!) Arrange your desired candies on top to look like a three-leaf clover (or a four-leaf, if you so desire). Sprinkle green sugar on top to give a more festive feel to your St. Patrick's Day cupcakes!

DIY Cupcake Wrappers

After looking through the pantry, I could not find any cute baking cups for our St. Patrick's Day cupcakes. Not wanting to travel to the store, I came up with an easy kid-friendly design for the cupcake wrappers. The boys enjoyed this craft and provided a much-needed distraction for them while they were waiting for the cupcakes to cool.

What you will need:

  • Green and white cardstock or construction paper.
  • Elmer's glue or glue sticks
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Cotton balls
  • Green ink pad or washable paint
  • Tape

Directions:

  1. Cut a long strip of green paper about 1 1/4 inches wide. Make sure it is long enough to fit around the cupcake.
  2. Cut a long strip of white paper about 1 inch wide.
  3. Dab the cotton ball into ink pad (or paint) and dab on the white strips of paper. If using the ink pad, it will give the look of a spray-painted appearance.
  4. After the white strip is dry, use Elmer's glue (or glue sticks) to attach the white strip to the middle of the green strip.
  5. When the cupcake wrapper is completely dried, attach it to the outside of the baking cups and secure with glue or a piece of tape.

The finished look of our St. Patrick's Day cupcakes!
The finished look of our St. Patrick's Day cupcakes! | Source

Share the Cupcake Love

Now I know I won't be opening up a bakery anytime soon, but I do enjoy baking cupcakes and other goodies all while having fun with my boys in the process. I think we have the most fun coming up with creative ways to decorate them without spending a fortune at the store. So are you craving a batch of cupcakes yet? Will you be sharing some cupcake love this St. Patrick's Day? I hope so!

I hope this article has been helpful in decorating your St. Patrick's Day cupcakes. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them in the comment section below. Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!


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    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      7 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks so much Natashalh! I really appreciate you featuring this hub. I am going to visit your profile to see if I can find a link to your blog. Thanks again!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      7 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks torrilynn for your sweet comments! These cupcakes certainly make a festive St. Patrick's Day treat. Appreciate you stopping by and for the vote up!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      7 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks so much ignugent17!So happy to hear that you liked the ideas :) Appreciate you stopping by!

    • Natashalh profile image

      Natasha 

      7 years ago from Hawaii

      I'm including your hub in a blog post St. Pat's roundup tomorrow - I hope you get some views!

    • torrilynn profile image

      torrilynn 

      7 years ago

      Hi alissaroberts,

      thanks for scrumptious and delicious looking pictures

      I love cupcakes and I love celebrating St. Patrick's Day

      thanks and voted up

    • profile image

      ignugent17 

      7 years ago

      Very creative ! Thanks for sharing the ideas. :-)

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      7 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks so much Msmillar! Oh how cool an Xbox cake - I bet they loved decorating that one! I think it is so much more fun when you can get the kids involved in the baking and decorating process. Really appreciate you stopping by and adding your comments!

    • Msmillar profile image

      Joanna 

      7 years ago from Wilseyville

      I like the ideas you have to keep the kids busy while they wait. I enjoy creating with cake, its so fun, and sooooo many things you can do with it! For my son's birthday I made an Xbox control handle cake. He and his friends LOVED decorating the handle to exact specifications, they were so funny. A cake we'll never forget. Can't wait to try this one! Thank you

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks FloraBreenRobison! I have made a few cakes in the past and they have turned out pretty good but for some reason I just prefer making cupcakes so much more than cakes. I guess because they are a little easier to decorate than cakes. Appreciate you stopping by and for sharing your comments!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks eolikes! Happy to hear you enjoyed it! Appreciate you stopping by!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks so much Dawn! Appreciate you stopping by and for the vote up!

    • FloraBreenRobison profile image

      FloraBreenRobison 

      8 years ago

      Congratulations on Hub of the day. I find it much easier to make cupcakes than a cake (I'm not a great cook/chef). If I make a full cake I often need a box recipe for it to not drop into brownie. (Although Dad prefers brownies.)So I make cupcakes. Homemade icing-but for me buttercream is too sweet. I didn't have any Paddy's Day cupcakes this year-cookies only.

    • eolikes profile image

      eolikes 

      8 years ago from Bangladesh

      wow! interesting and beautiful hub.. good job :)

    • Dawn Conklin profile image

      Dawn Conklin 

      8 years ago from New Jersey, USA

      Great idea Alissa, the cupcake wrappers add the extra touch too. These look so good :) voted up

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks so much Tammy! We all got our green on in this house so you can't pinch us :) Appreciate you stopping by!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks so much mary615! I will be sure to stop by and take a look at your hub. My son has a birthday coming up next month and the cupcake tower may come in handy! Appreciate you stopping by and for all the votes!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks for bookmarking and sharing urmilashukla23! I really appreciate it!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks so much livingpah2004! He did have fun making them! Appreciate you stopping by!

    • tammyswallow profile image

      Tammy 

      8 years ago from North Carolina

      Those are adorable! Well done. Congratulations on the Hub of the Day! Now.. back to pinching people who aren't wearing green. :)

    • mary615 profile image

      Mary Hyatt 

      8 years ago from Florida

      My family loves their cupcakes. Congrats on the Hub of the Day. Easy to see why you earned that. I love the idea of involving your kids in making and decorating these. I invite you to take a look at my Hub on making a cupcake tower to display your works of art. Great Hub. I voted it UP, etc.etc.

    • urmilashukla23 profile image

      Urmila 

      8 years ago from Rancho Cucamonga,CA, USA

      Wonderful cupcake recipe for St. Patrick`s day!Bookmarked and shared.

      Congratulations on winning Hub of the day award!

    • livingpah2004 profile image

      Milli 

      8 years ago from USA

      Cute idea! Your son looks really happy to make those wrappers. Thanks for sharing it. Congrats for Hub of the Day award!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks so much Carmen! Happy to hear that you liked them! Appreciate you reading and commenting!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks truthfornow! All we had in the cabinet was pink cupcake holders and my boys do not like the color pink. Lol :) So I just came up with this cover up to make them happy because going to the store for one item with 2 little boys is just way too exhausting! Appreciate you stopping by!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks wewillmake! Appreciate you stopping by!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks Organicpixie! They are so delicious that it is totally worth it :) Appreciate you reading and for your comment!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks so much cclitgirl! I told the boys their cupcake wrapper won HOTD. They said "Cool what prize do we get?" Too funny! We may have to celebrate with ice cream later :) Appreciate you stopping by!

    • Carmen H profile image

      Carmen Beth 

      8 years ago

      I know that I won't be making any of these now as I currently do not bake, but it's just so creative to make cupcakes green and simply fitting for St. Patrick's Day. Besides, they look soooo adorable.

    • truthfornow profile image

      Marie Hurt 

      8 years ago from New Orleans, LA

      Never seen DIY cupcake holders before, what a neat idea. These look so good and definitely a good way to get in the spirit.

    • wewillmake profile image

      wewillmake 

      8 years ago from kerala-INDIA

      nice one yaar... you really worked hard on this.

    • Organicpixie profile image

      Organicpixie 

      8 years ago from London

      I love making cupcakes and these are great ideas for the colouring for St Patricks day. I love buttercream icing except for my weight doesn't lol. I'll still be giving them a go anyway.

    • cclitgirl profile image

      Cynthia Calhoun 

      8 years ago from Western NC

      Way to go, Alissa!! These look scrumptious. Congratulations on a well-deserved hub of the day! Your boys can be proud, too! Their efforts are on the main page of the website. I might have to go get the ingredients to make these before heading to my friend's house for St. Patty's Day. :)

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks so much Stephanie! We do love our cupcakes around here! Appreciate the vote up and for pinning!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks so much vespawoolf! Appreciate you stopping by and commenting!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      I appreciate your comments SmartAndFun! Thanks so much for stopping by!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks smartincome! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks susanm23b! They did have a good time - cupcakes are their favorite! Appreciate you stopping by and for the vote up!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks Cara! Wow it was a super nice surprise to wake up to this morning! Appreciate you stopping by!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks so much fpherj48! That is so true. My boys dragged everyone in the kitchen to show off "their" cupcakes! Too funny :) Appreciate you reading and for the vote up!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks RTalloni! It was definitely a good start to the day! Appreciate you stopping by!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks so much K9! Wow I wasn't expecting HOTD! This just made my day! Appreciate you stopping by and for your comments!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thank you Chris! Appreciate you reading and for the vote up!

    • Stephanie Henkel profile image

      Stephanie Henkel 

      8 years ago from USA

      Perfect Hub of the Day for St. Paddy's Day! Making cute cupcakes with the kids is a nice way to include the kids in the festivities...and who doesn't like cupcakes? Voted up and pinned!

    • vespawoolf profile image

      Vespa Woolf 

      8 years ago from Peru, South America

      Congratulations on a well-deserved Hub of the Day!

    • SmartAndFun profile image

      SmartAndFun 

      8 years ago from Texas

      A thorough, fun, and well written hub that's perfect for the Hub O' the Day today! Congrats!

    • smartincome profile image

      Lor M 

      8 years ago from Philippines

      So cool! Would love to try it! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

    • profile image

      susanm23b 

      8 years ago

      These are super cute! I'm sure that your guys had so much fun with this. Great choice for hub of the day! Voted up!

    • cardelean profile image

      cardelean 

      8 years ago from Michigan

      Congrats on the Hub of the Day!!!! Perfect choice for today. ;)

    • fpherj48 profile image

      Suzie 

      8 years ago from Carson City

      alissa...Very nice (and yummy) project for a joint effort. Kids just love "creating" in the kitchen with Mom or Dad. I enjoy making cookies, etc with my young grandsons. The cutest part to me is when they take such pride in the finished product..."Look what I made!!" and this is even if all they did was "stir." LOL....it's the fun and togetherness that matters. UP++

    • profile image

      RTalloni 

      8 years ago

      Congrats on your Hub of the Day award for these cute, cute cupcakes and wrappers!

    • K9keystrokes profile image

      India Arnold 

      8 years ago from Northern, California

      Yum-EE! Great decorating ideas and I love the DIY cupcake wrappers! I see why this has been made HOTD! Super Big Congrats, Alissa.

    • Chris Achilleos profile image

      Chris Achilleos 

      8 years ago

      Very useful hub alissa, voted up!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks so much Rebecca! The cupcake wrappers were a good project to keep the kids busy while the cupcakes cooled. Happy to hear that you liked them. Appreciate you stopping by and commenting!

    • rebeccamealey profile image

      Rebecca Mealey 

      8 years ago from Northeastern Georgia, USA

      The cupcakes look festive for Saint Pat's day parties for kids and adults too. I am very impressed by the home made cupcake wrappers. Very clever!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Jelly beans would be cute too and a great alternative if there is a peanut allergy! The green gummy savers made a cute clover as well - they were our second favorite design but unfortunately I only had enough to put on two of the cupcakes. Oh "speckled" cupcakes would be so cool. May have to try that one out next! Thanks so much Cara for stopping by and commenting!

    • cardelean profile image

      cardelean 

      8 years ago from Michigan

      LOVE this! This is a great idea. My kids have an art fair on St. Pats weekend. I'm supposed to bring cookies but I think I might have to break the rules and make these cupcakes! You could also use green jelly beans on top if there are peanut allergy concerns. They would be easy to find this time of year. Also, if you mix green jimmies in the batter it may give more of a "speckled" look.

      Your idea for the cupcake wrapper is so great. I can see so many ways to adapt this to other holidays and events!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks Teresa! I was worried about the peanut M&Ms on top of the cupcakes but my husband said they were delicious. I kind of believed him after he ate 6 in 2 days :) Appreciate you taking the time to read and comment!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Yes my boys and I had fun coming up with this batch! Thanks so much randomcreative for reading and commenting!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks partypail! The swirls were a nice surprise when I cut into the cupcake. Appreciate you stopping by and commenting!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks so much Robin! I have never made wrappers before either until this day. The boys did not like the pink baking cups which was the only kind I had in my pantry so we had to hide the "girly" color. Boys are too funny! Appreciate you stopping by and commenting!

    • Teresa Coppens profile image

      Teresa Coppens 

      8 years ago from Ontario, Canada

      They look delicious. I am so hungry right now. Great hub with wonderfully delicious visuals.

    • randomcreative profile image

      Rose Clearfield 

      8 years ago from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

      Thanks for the great St. Patrick's Day recipe! This is such a fun baking project to complete with kids.

    • partypail profile image

      PartyPail 

      8 years ago from www.partypail.com

      I love the green and white swirled cupcake idea! How fun! I'll have to try these this year.

    • Robin profile image

      Robin Edmondson 

      8 years ago from San Francisco

      Those cupcakes are amazing! I have never made homemade wrappers. My kids would love that! Might have to make these for St. Paddy's Day!

    • alissaroberts profile imageAUTHOR

      Alissa Roberts 

      8 years ago from Normandy, TN

      Thanks so much Kimberly! Happy to hear you liked the ideas! Appreciate you reading, voting, and for sharing :)

    • KimberlyLake profile image

      Kimberly Lake 

      8 years ago from California

      Cute ideas, voted up, interesting and socially shared

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