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These Lucky Charms Cupcakes are made with cereal milk cupcakes, Lucky Charms marshmallow filling, Lucky Charms crumbled on top and a light swirl of cereal milk frosting! They take me back to being a kid and they are SO tasty!
As a kid, I totally ate all the good cereal. You know, the ones full of sugar and good stuff? Lucky Charms, Fruit Loops, Fruity Pebbles, Cinnamon Toast Crunch (!!!), among others. While I don’t eat them on the regular as an adult, I won’t lie – every once in a while, I indulge. They are just SO good! And let’s be honest, they make a perfect dessert. 🙂
Lucky Charms marshmallows are pretty much the reason the cereal exists. The rest of the cereal is fine, but if you don’t have at least one marshmallow in every bite, forget it. That bite’s not worth it. So naturally these cupcakes feature plenty of those delightful little marshmallows. It wouldn’t be a Lucky Charms cupcake without them.
HOW DO YOU MAKE CEREAL MILK?
So to get started with these cupcakes, we’ll make the cereal milk. It is just as it sounds – milk that has had cereal soaking it in. In this case, Lucky Charms cereal. Pour the cereal into the milk, just as if you were making a bowl to eat, and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Strain the cereal out of the milk and you’ve got cereal milk!
The only question you need to answer at this point is whether or not you are into soft cereal. If yes, eat that discarded cereal. I did. If no, toss it…so sad.
The next step is going to be to make the cupcakes using the cereal milk. It doesn’t necessarily give the cupcakes a huge amount of cereal flavor, but it’s there. It’ll also give the cupcakes just a smidge of color from the marshmallows. Mine had a bit of a greenish-blue color to them. It’s a little hard to tell from the photos – it’s subtle – but it’s there.
MARSHMALLOW FROSTING AND FILLING
Next up is the marshmallow filling and frosting. This stuff is amazing! Only four ingredients – butter, powdered sugar, marshmallow cream and Lucky Charms marshmallows. The filling gets even better as it sits. It’ll initially have a lot of marshmallow flavor from the cream, but let it sit for several hours (or even overnight, as I did) and it starts to take on the flavor of the Lucky Charms marshmallows. Heaven!
And even though the marshmallows are chillin’ in the filling, they don’t get too soft and mushy. They soften a bit, but they maintain that signature crunch. Mmmmmmm.
Add the filling to the cupcakes, then use some of the remaining marshmallow frosting (minus the marshmallows) to spread over the top of the cupcake. You won’t need much. Dip the marshmallow covered cupcake into some crushed up Lucky Charms (both the cereal pieces and the marshmallows), then top it with a little bit of vanilla frosting and a marshmallow.
THE BEST LUCKY CHARMS CUPCAKES
OMG. These cupcakes are awesome! So fun and so tasty! It really is like eating Lucky Charms in cupcake form. The fluffy cupcake with the marshmallow filling and Lucky Charms marshmallows, then the actual cereal crushed up on top – everything in one cupcake and in every bite. Love them!
I will say that the cereal on top softens with time, so I’d suggest that you serve them within a few hours of putting them together. They aren’t bad once softened, but I actually really loved the crunch. It was a nice contrast to the fluffy cupcake and filling.
When I made these, I actually baked the cupcake and filled them one night and then added the marshmallow frosting on top with the cereal and the cereal milk frosting on top the next day. I personally think that works out best. It breaks up the work a bit, let’s the filling sit for a while and keeps the Lucky Charms on the top of the cupcake fresh and crunchy!
These Lucky Charms cupcakes are seriously delicious, fun and perfect for feeding your love for cereal! They’d also make a great addition to a St. Patrick’s Day party!
Lucky Charms Cupcakes with Cereal Milk
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Lucky Charms Cupcakes are made with cereal milk cupcakes, Lucky Charms marshmallow filling, Lucky Charms crumbled on top and a light swirl of cereal milk frosting!
Ingredients
Cereal Milk
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 1 cup Lucky Charms Cereal
Cereal Milk Cupcakes
- 1 1/4 cups (163g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp (84g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cups (155g) sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (150ml) cereal milk (from above)
Marshmallow Filling
- 6 tbsp (84g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (86g) powdered sugar
- 7 oz marshmallow creme
- 1 cup (35g) Lucky Charms Cereal marshmallows
- 2 cups Lucky Charms Cereal, chopped
Vanilla Frosting
- 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (48g) shortening
- 3 cups (345g) powdered sugar
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
1. To make the cereal milk, add the milk and Lucky Charms to a bowl and let sit for 20 minutes. Strain the milk and discard the cereal. You’ll have a little more milk than you need for the cupcakes, so set the extra aside for the frosting.
2. To make the cupcakes, prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
3. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
4. Add the butter, sugar and oil to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time. You should see a noticeable change in the color and texture of the mixture – light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each. Add the vanilla extract with the second egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
6. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
7. Slowly add the cereal milk and mix until well combined. The batter might look a little curdled, but that’s ok.
8. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
9. Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
10. Remove cupcakes from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
11. To make the filling, add the butter to a mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
12. Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth. It may take a few minutes to incorporate, but it will.
13. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
14. Add the marshmallow cream and stir until well combined.
15. Gently fold in the Lucky Charms marshmallows.
16. To fill the cupcakes, cut out the centers of the cupcakes. You can use a cupcake corer or a knife.
17. Fill the centers of the cupcakes with the filling, then spread some additional filling over the top of the cupcake in a thin layer. You don’t need much on top.
18. Turn the cupcake over and press it into a bowl of the chopped up Lucky Charms cereal. Set cupcakes aside.
19. To make the frosting, add the butter and shortening to a mixer bowl and beat until well combined.
20. Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
21. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix until well combined.
22. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth. Add some of the left over cereal milk, as needed for the right consistency.
23. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, leaving the edges of the cupcakes exposed, so you can see the Lucky Charms cereal. Top each cupcake with a Lucky Charms cereal marshmallow.
24. Cupcakes are best if served the same day, so the cereal doesn’t get too soft, but will stay moist and tasty for 2-3 days.
Notes
NOTE: The filling for these cupcakes gets better as it sits. The marshmallows from the cereal lend their flavor to the filling over time. You could definitely make the filling a day ahead, if you like. You could even make the cupcakes and fill them and then finish everything else the day they’ll be served.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cupcake
- Calories: 622
- Sugar: 56.7 g
- Sodium: 217.7 mg
- Fat: 32.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 78.6 g
- Protein: 6.9 g
- Cholesterol: 96.7 mg
Enjoy!
