A delightful combination of cake and pudding, these St. Patrick’s Day Puddin’ Filled Cupcakes are always a crowd-pleaser. A light, fluffy cupcake encases a creamy pudding center, and a swirl of vanilla buttercream—tinted green—finishes each one. Top with gold coins or sprinkles for a festive touch.
How to Make St. Patrick’s Day Puddin’ Filled Cupcakes
Begin by baking cupcakes from a white cake mix. Add a small amount of green food coloring if you want a festive tint. Follow the cake mix instructions for water, oil, and eggs, then bake and cool completely.
Once cooled, use a cupcake corer or a small knife to remove the center of each cupcake. Reserve the removed cake pieces in an airtight container in the freezer for another use, such as in trifles.
Prepare the pudding filling by pouring the milk into a mixing bowl, then adding the dry vanilla pudding mix while the beaters are running to reduce lumps. Fold in the Cool Whip (or whipped topping) until smooth and well combined. Transfer the pudding mixture to a piping bag and fill each cupcake center—fill to the top but do not overfill.
For the topping, spread a thin layer of green vanilla frosting from one jar over the entire top of each cupcake. To pipe decorative “grass” or to create sturdier swirls, thicken a second jar of frosting with about 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar until it holds its shape. Use a Wilton 2D tip or similar to pipe grassy peaks and tuck a few gold coins or gold-colored sprinkles into the frosting to resemble hidden treasure.
Recipe Variations and Tips
These cupcakes are perfect year-round—not just for St. Patrick’s Day. Swap the green color for another shade for different occasions, or use chocolate or lemon pudding for a different flavor profile. If you prefer a lighter frosting, skip the extra confectioners’ sugar and simply spread the frosting from one jar. For a sturdier piped look, thicken the second jar as described above.
Store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator since they contain pudding. The frozen cake cores can be saved for layers in trifles, parfaits, or as a quick add-in to other desserts.
Cupcake Recipes
If you enjoy these, try other cupcake ideas as well. Make them anytime you want a fun, pudding-filled treat.
- French Toast Cupcakes
- Lemon Raspberry Cookie Cupcakes
- Brown Butter Pecan Cupcakes
- Tropical Ambrosia Cupcakes
St. Patrick’s Day Puddin’ Filled Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 box White cake mix (add water, oil, eggs per box instructions)
- 2 cups Milk
- 1 3.4 oz. box Vanilla pudding
- 4 oz. Cool Whip
- 2 15.6 oz. jars Green vanilla frosting
- Approx. 2 cups Confectioners sugar (optional)
- Green food coloring (optional)
- Gold coins or sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
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Bake cupcakes according to box instructions, adding green food coloring if desired. Let cool completely, then core the center of each cupcake using a corer or small knife.
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Make the pudding filling: pour the milk into a mixing bowl while the beaters run, then add the dry pudding mix to prevent lumps. Mix until smooth, then fold in the Cool Whip.
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Fill each cored cupcake with the pudding mixture using a piping bag. Fill to the top but do not overfill. There may be leftover pudding.
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Frosting and decorating: spread one jar of green frosting across each cupcake. If you want piped decorations that hold shape, thicken a second jar of frosting with approx. 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, then pipe grassy mounds with a Wilton 2D tip or similar. Add gold coins or sprinkles and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
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