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Whip up some summer fun with Campfire Cupcakes, a kid-friendly treat perfect for warm nights. These cupcakes, decorated with a fiery frosting, pretzel stick ‘logs’, and mini marshmallow ‘roasts’, are sure to make your family’s summer extra sweet!
Campfire treats are so fun and nostalgic for the entire family! However, you don’t need to be on a camping trip to enjoy them. As the long sunny days of summer stretch ahead of us, I’m thrilled to share these adorable Campfire Cupcakes sweet for any summer adventures!
These cupcake treats, laden with mini marshmallows for S’mores, pretzel sticks, and an ombre frosting that mimics the flickering flames of a fire, are just as much a feast for the eyes as they are for the taste buds. Let’s get started making this kid-friendly baking treat the whole family will love.
How do you make Campfire Cupcakes?
These summer treats are super easy especially if you use a cake mix and ready-made frosting! Then it’s really all about assembly. You’ll pipe on the frosting with a star tip to resemble a fire (we colored ours two shades of orange and red) but you could stick to one color to make it easier. Then add two mini marshmallows to a toothpick to resemble S’mores roasting. Finish off with pretzel sticks as the “logs” of a campfire!
What are some ways to embellish or switch up these summer cupcakes?
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Cupcake Flavors: While we generally use a standard chocolate cupcake for this recipe, you can explore other flavors like cinnamon or graham cracker to mimic the classic s’mores taste.
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Add Chocolate: Melt some chocolate and drizzle it over the top of the cupcakes for an extra flavor dimension. You can also use chocolate shavings or cocoa powder for a less messy alternative.
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Frosting Fun: Try different piping techniques or tips to make the fire look more realistic. You can also experiment with yellow frosting to add another layer of color to the fire.
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Pretzel Shapes: Use pretzel sticks of different lengths and thicknesses, or even pretzel shapes, to add variety to your ‘logs’.
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Toasted Marshmallows: If you have a culinary torch, toasting the marshmallows gives them a more authentic campfire look and a delicious toasted flavor.
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“Roast” Other Treats: Instead of marshmallows, we’ve seen people place candy gummy bears on the toothpicks instead and over the frosting!
Remember, the most important thing is to have fun with it! Don’t worry about making everything look perfect. The joy is in the journey of creating, imagining, and, of course, tasting. Happy baking!
Campfire Cupcakes Ingredients:
- Your favorite cupcake recipe or boxed mix – we used chocolate as the base
- Your favorite vanilla or white frosting recipe or store-bought frosting
- Pretzel sticks
- Mini marshmallows
- Toothpicks
- Red and orange gel food coloring
- Piping bag
- Plastic wrap
- Large star tip
Instructions:
Campfire Cupcakes
Ingredients
- Your favorite cupcake recipe or boxed mix - we used chocolate as the base
- Your favorite vanilla or white frosting recipe or store-bought frosting
- Pretzel sticks
- Mini marshmallows
- Toothpicks
- Red and orange gel food coloring
- Piping bag
- Plastic wrap
- Large star tip
Instructions
- Bake the Cupcakes: Start by baking the cupcakes according to your favorite recipe or boxed mix instructions. Allow them to cool completely before moving to the next step.
- Prepare the Frosting: To create the ombre effect, divide the frosting equally into two bowls. Add red food coloring to one bowl and orange food coloring to the other, mixing each until you have the desired color intensity. Spread each color on a large piece of plastic wrap and roll that up as a log. Add the log to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
- Frost the Cupcakes: Pipe in a tall swirl so the frostring resembles a campfire-like shape. You'll see an exciting blend of red and orange hues in your frosting that resembles dancing flames.
- Build Your "Campfire": Arrange 6 pretzel sticks on top of the cupcakes, pushing them gently into the frosting. They should resemble firewood or kindling stacked for a campfire. Thread 2-3 mini marshmallows on a toothpick and stick on the cupcake for a "S'mores" effect. If you are at ease using a culinary torch you can slighty torch the marshmallows.
Video
And there you have it – a tantalizing tray of Campfire Cupcakes, ready to brighten up any summer picnic, camping trip, or backyard adventure. They’re sure to be a hit with both the kids and the kids-at-heart.
Happy Baking!
Agnes Hsu is a mom of three and has been inspiring parents and kids to get creative with easy activities and family friendly recipes for over 10 years. She shares her love for creative play and kids food to her 2MM+ followers online. Agnes' commitment to playful learning and kindness has not only raised funds for charity but also earned features in prestigious nationwide publications.