Lucky Charm Cupcakes Recipe
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Celebrate St. Patrick’s day, or any day, with this festive Lucky Charm Cupcakes recipe! The moist cake uses cereal milk to capture the flavor and is topped with the iconic charm marshmallows. Magically delicious.
Looking for more cereal treats? Our melt-in-your mouth Rice Krispie Treats are award winning and worth a try.
RECIPE FEATURES
- From Scratch Cupcake Recipe – Don’t be intimidated by homemade baked goods. This recipe comes together quickly and tastes incredible.
- Freezer Friendly: Make the cupcakes ahead of time and keep them stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
It is almost St Patrick’s day! We love this holiday for a number of reasons:
First, green is my favorite color. It happens to also be the color representing the holiday! Second, it gives me a reason to make so many colorful treats. AND it is my sisters birthday!
These sweet cereal cupcakes were created and inspired by her love for Lucky Charms. Made with cereal soaked milk and topped with cereal marshmallows. This truly is a lucky cupcake recipe!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CEREAL MILK CUPCAKES
Making this recipe is simple and requires basic baking ingredients, most of which you might already have on hand! Let’s break a few ingredients down before we get started.
- Milk: It is best to use 2% milk or higher for soaking the cereal. It is key to getting that bold marshmallow flavor.
- Lucky Charms: This recipe has been tested with both name and off brand cereal. Both will deliver similar results. Pick your favorite to use in this recipe.
- All-purpose flour: Regular white flour, found in the baking aisle. Wheat flour is not a good substitute in this cupcake. However, you can use cake flour in place of this and the cornstarch.
- Cornstarch: This ingredient is key in developing a tender crumbly texture.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Always be sure to check the expiration date on your leavening agents. If they have been sitting open in the pantry for a while, chances are good you will need to replace them to get the full effect.
- Butter: I prefer to use salted butter in my baked goods. This helps enhance the flavor, but you can always opt for unsalted with a pinch of added salt to the dry ingredients.
- Vanilla extract: Always opt for pure vanilla extract when you can. Imitation extract will leave a chemical aftertaste to your cake.
- Lemon yogurt: The secret ingredient. I use greek yogurt single serve containers.
WHAT IS CEREAL MILK?
To achieve the flavor of Lucky Charms, I decided to use cereal milk. I saw this idea in a friends cookbook and fell in love with the overall idea. She used captain crunch, so all I did was swap it for the marshmallow filled breakfast.
But what exactly is cereal milk? It is milk that has been soaked in your favorite cereal and the pieces strained out. The end result is that sweet milk you get after enjoying a bowl of your favorite cereal.
LUCKY CHARMS CAKE RECIPE
- Combine the milk and cereal in an air tight container. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Strain.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 1 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla and yogurt.
- Stir in the flour and cereal milk, alternating between the two, until both are mixed into the batter.
- Divide between your prepared cupcake liners, filling 3/4 full.
- Bake 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
Top your cooled cupcakes with whipped marshmallow frosting and cereal pieces to finish the look!
HELPFUL TOOLS
Bakers tip: Do NOT leave off the marshmallows! While the cereal milk does provide a bit of lucky taste, the marshmallows are what bring the flavors together. You can pick out the bright colored treats from a box of cereal OR you can find where to buy lucky charms just magical marshmallows here (affiliate).
CUPCAKE BAKING TIPS
- Always use room temperature ingredients. This will ensure everything mixes together smoothly and fully.
- Test your oven temperature. The last thing you want is to over bake your cupcakes. This will result in a dry and crumbly cake.
- Use a cookie scoop to get even cake sizing.
- Cool your cupcakes completely before frosting.
What is the difference between buttercream and frosting?
I topped these cupcakes with a sweet cereal milk buttercream. Butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cereal milk are whipped until a smooth and creamy texture is achieved. This gives you a dreamy and perfect cupcake topping.
I get this question regularly, but what is the real difference between the two?
- Frosting is usually made with a base of shortening or cream cheese. This is combined with powdered sugar and whipped to a fluffy consistency.
- Buttercream is made with butter in place of the shortening. The remaining ingredients are the same, but the end result is a silky buttercream with a slightly less chemical taste.
MORE ST PATRICK’S DAY RECIPES
- Guinness Brownies
- Stout Whiskey Cupcakes
- Chocolate Mint Cupcakes
- Mint Brownie Brittle
- Rainbow Fruit Cups
- Lucky Cereal Treats
MORE CUPCAKES YOU’LL LOVE
- Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
- Butterbeer Cupcakes
- Guinness Cupcakes
- Raspberry White Chocolate Cupcakes
- S’more Cupcake Recipe
- Buttermilk Cupcakes
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Lucky Charm Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cereal Milk:
- 3/4 cup cold milk
- 1/2 cup Lucky Charm cereal
Cupcakes:
- 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup butter (soft)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup lemon yogurt
- 1/2 cup cereal milk
Frosting:
- 1 cup butter (soft)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons cereal milk
- Lucky Charm marshmallows
Instructions
Cereal milk:
- Combine the milk and cereal in an air tight container. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Strain.
Cupcakes:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 1 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla and yogurt.
- Stir in the flour and cereal milk, alternating between the two, until both are mixed into the batter.
- Divide between your prepared cupcake liners, filling 3/4 full.
- Bake 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
Frosting:
- Whisk together the butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer. Stir in the vanilla extract and 2-3 tablespoons of cereal milk until your desired consistency is reached. Spread onto your cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with marshmallows.
Equipment
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
