Fluffy white sprinkle filled piñata cupcakes are fun to make and even better to eat! A simple recipe perfect for parties, birthdays, gender reveals or even a rainy-day activity.
Pin Sprinkle Filled Piñata Cupcakes for later!

Ok, clearly I'm going a little rogue on you today. These cupcakes aren't made with whole foods, they have ALL. THE. SUGAR. and I'm not even using naturally dyed sprinkles **gasp. It's all about balance, and if being quarantined in our home for the foreseeable future with NO SCHOOL, NO DAYCARE, NO SPORTS, NO NEW T.V. SHOWS (<-- just me upset about that one?) doesn't earn us the right to make super fancy, multi-colored, sprinkle filled, piñata like treats... I don't know what does!
The basic premise is pretty simple and you can adapt the concept to your specific needs. AKA... use whatever sprinkles, cupcake recipe, icing, color selection that you like. The bottom line.. we are making cupcakes and loading them up with colorful sprinkles that will spill out EVERYWHERE when you bite in. Could this situation be any happier?
Step by Step: How To Make Sprinkled Filled Piñata Cupcakes
Step 1: Prepare the cupcakes - Homemade, box-mix, chocolate vs. vanilla, it's totally your call. Just make sure you have 12 cupcakes baked and ready to go. Here's a link to my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe.
Step 2: Carve a hole into the center - Use a knife to carve a 1" section of cupcake out. The cupcake section that you remove should be in the shape of a cone. You can then slice off the narrow end of the cone so that the cupcake section can can fit back on top even with the sprinkles stuffed inside.
Step 3: Frost the cupcake - Use your frosting of choice. Keep things simple by using a butter knife to add frosting, or check out our video for an easy method to make your cupcakes look a little fancier (you will need some special equipment - listed below). Don't forget to add sprinkles!
Colorful, sweet and impressive all in one dessert. All the things your patriotic "social-distancing" self needs for an afternoon pick-me-up!
Equipment Used To Make Pictured Sprinkle Filled Piñata Cookies:
The below links are affiliate links.
- Gold Sugar Pearl Sprinkles
- Decorative Rainbow Sprinkles
- Wilton 2A Round Decorating Tip
- Disposable Piping Bags - 18"
- Large Cake Decorating Tip Coupler
Recipe
Sprinkle Filled Piñata Cupcakes Recipe
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12-15 cupcakes 1x
Description
Fluffy white sprinkle filled piñata cupcakes are fun to make and even better to eat! A simple recipe perfect for parties, birthdays, gender reveals or even a rainy-day activity.
Ingredients
- 12 -15 prepared cupcakes (use your favorite recipe OR box mix)
- 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 4 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare Vanilla Buttermilk Frosting. Using a hand held mixer OR stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy. Add sugar, cream and vanilla to the bowl. Beat on low speed, increasing to medium speed after about 30 seconds. Beat for a full 2-3 minutes to ensure that the frosting is smooth. If frosting is too thick, add an additional tablespoon of cream. If frosting is too thin, add additional confectioners' sugar ¼ cup at a time. Set aside.
- Cut the center out of each cupcake. Use a small paring knife to cut a 1" in diameter cone (position the knife at an angle) from the center of each cupcake. Do NOT cut too deep. The bottom of the cupcake should remain in tact. Each removed piece of cupcake will need to go back to THE SAME cupcake. I arrange mine in a line on the counter in the order that they were removed to keep things simple.
- Fill each hollowed out cupcake with sprinkles. You can use ANY type of sprinkles that you have on hand. Chocolate chips, nuts and candies are also fun filler ideas. Leave enough space for the cupcake top to be replaced.
- Use a sharp knife to remove the bottom ½ of the removed cupcake pieces. You will need to cut off the "skinny" portion of each cone so that there is room for cupcake top to be replaced now that the holes have been filled with sprinkles.
- Add the tops back to the cupcakes. Place each removed cupcake top back onto the cupcake that it "belongs to." Press down firmly so that the piece is flush with the original cupcake.
- Add icing and sprinkles. Use your preferred method for icing the cupcakes.
- Traditional: Use a butterknife to spread the vanilla buttercream icing and top with sprinkles.
- Fancy: For the cupcakes pictured in this post, I used a Wilton 2A frosting tip, large coupler and an 18" disposable piping bag. Use a rubber spatula to fill the piping bag with buttercream icing. Position the icing tip about ¼" from the center of the cupcake and gently apply even/consistent pressure to the piping bag. Once you have the desired amount of frosting, lightly press down and then raise the piping bag. There is a link to the recipe video in the notes below.
Notes
- Sprinkle Filled Piñata Cupcakes: https://vimeo.com/399975340
- Nutrition facts are not included for this recipe because it will vary based on the type of cupcakes and the amount of frosting used.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Tarhib
Beyond the classic rainbow sprinkles, let's explore other exciting combos – themed blends, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, and maybe even savory surprises!