Best Glow in the Dark Cupcakes + Glow in the Dark Frosting Recipe

Make your party glow with these glow in the dark cupcakes! All you need is your favorite cupcake recipe and this simple glow technique to make your party stand out. 

Glow in the Dark Cupcakes 

I’ve done my fair share of kids’ birthday parties, but this glow party has definitely been the most fun. Especially since I got to make these cool glow in the dark cupcakes, Glow Party Donuts, and a Glow in The Dark Cake!

glow in the dark cupcakes with green liners and glowing splatters

When I’m putting together a party of any kind, simplicity is key. Party-planning is time-consuming and I can’t spend all day baking!

Thank goodness you can do this glow-paint technique on store-bought cupcakes, homemade cupcakes, or anything in between! It’s just a food-safe glow powder that you can use to create a taste-able glow in the dark paint!

After making your cakes, you can splatter the “paint” right on the frosting. When you pull out your black light these cupcakes are going to shine!

glow in the dark cupcakes on a round white plate

Glow Party Cupcakes

These glow in the dark cupcakes are so awesome. With just a simple decorating technique you’ll have an extra special set of glowing little cakes!

Ingredients

process shot of glow in the dark cupcakes
  • Pre-baked cupcakes
  • Frosting, dyed black
  • Rolkum glow-in-the-dark colors
  • Lemon extract

Some additional tools you may need: 

  • Hand mixer or stand mixer
  • Piping bags
  • Piping tip 2D or 1M
  • Black light

How to Make Glow in the Dark Cupcakes

glow in the dark cupcakes with glow splatters

Don’t forget to download the full printable recipe below so you can print it out and use it whenever you feel like making this delicious recipe!

  • To make your glow in the dark cupcakes, start by preparing your cupcakes and letting them cool completely. 
  • Add some buttercream to a mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.
  • Dye the frosting black by adding black food coloring until you get a nice rich black color.
  • Beat the frosting on high speed for about 3-5 minutes or until it’s fluffy.
  • Next, prepare your piping bag by adding the piping tip. 
  • Fill your piping bag with the black frosting and pipe a swirl on each cupcake.
  • Prepare your station by covering it with a tablecloth, parchment paper, or any other covering to protect surfaces. It’s about to get messy!
  • Add a tiny bit of the Rolkum powder to a small amount of lemon extract in a small bowl and mix until you reach the consistency of a loose paste or glue.
  • Use a food-safe paintbrush or a gloved hand to splatter the mixture over the frosted cupcakes. They should be ready to glow right away. 
glow in the dark cupcakes with green, pink and yellow splatters

Party Planning Game Ideas

You can’t go wrong with games at a party! There are so many different kinds that will keep the kids entertained and happy. If you want to try out some fun new games, check these three out. Charades, Trivia, or even BINGO.

Bingo is great for younger ones. It’s time your child had an awesome glow party by adding these games to the party!

Tips Tricks and FAQs 

  • To make the black frosting, I love using my chocolate buttercream recipe! It’s got the best flavor and comes together so quickly! If you decide to use another recipe, just make sure that you use chocolate frosting because it’s so much easier to dye black! If you are set on another flavor, you may have to add brown food coloring first to darken it before trying to tone it black. 
  • You can absolutely use store-bought cupcakes for this recipe. Just use the same process and people won’t even be able to tell they’re not homemade! I’d suggest ordering some cupcakes from a local bakery and asking for no frosting. You’ll save a lot of time but will still have some tasty cupcakes!
  • A little goes a long way for these cupcakes! You may get excited and want to add more, but you only need a few splatters to get a cool glow-in-the-dark effect you want for your glow party. 

Storage

Store these cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days in the fridge. The Rolkum colors should continue to go as long as the cupcakes are fresh! 

What flavor cake works best for glow in the dark cupcakes?

You can use just about any flavor of cake that you want for this recipe! Since the glowing effect only comes into play in the frosting and decorating, it doesn’t really matter what the cake is.

You may want to consider using a darker-colored cake, like chocolate, to make the glow colors stand out even more! 

Just save this pin so you can make these glow in the dark cupcakes later!

More Easy Recipes

Did you make this? Let us know how it went in the comments!

Glow In the Dark Cupcakes

glow in the dark cupcakes with glow splatters

Make your party glow with these glow in the dark cupcakes! All you need is your favorite cupcake recipe and this simple glow technique to make your party stand out. 

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • Pre-baked cupcakes
  • Frosting, dyed black
  • Rolkum glow-in-the-dark colors
  • Lemon extract

Instructions

  1. To make your glow in the dark cupcakes, start by preparing your cupcakes and letting them cool completely. 
  2. Add some buttercream to a mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.
  3. Dye the frosting black by adding black food coloring until you get a nice rich black color.
  4. Beat the frosting on high speed for about 3-5 minutes or until it’s fluffy.
  5. Next, prepare your piping bag by adding the piping tip. 
  6. Fill your piping bag with the black frosting and pipe a swirl on each cupcake.
  7. Prepare your station by covering it with a tablecloth, parchment paper, or any other covering to protect surfaces. It’s about to get messy!
  8. Add a tiny bit of the Rolkum powder to a small amount of lemon extract in a small bowl and mix until you reach the consistency of a loose paste or glue.
  9. Use a food-safe paintbrush or a gloved hand to splatter the mixture over the frosted cupcakes. They should be ready to glow right away. 

2 thoughts on “Best Glow in the Dark Cupcakes + Glow in the Dark Frosting Recipe”

  1. What can I use instead of lemon extract? I’m concerened the kids won’t like the lemon flavor…

    Reply
    • You could use a tiny bit of clear vanilla, or even water! It won’t have the same shiny finish, but will still glow in the dark just fine 🙂

      Reply

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