Filled Cupcakes and the Pillsbury Baking Challenge (2024)

These easy-filled cupcakes are the perfect treat for any birthday party or family gathering. Get all the tips and filling ideas in the post below!

Who doesn’t love cupcakes with a fun surprise inside? With these easy cupcakes, the possibilities and flavor combinations and endless! For these specific cupcakes, the filling is added after baking which keeps the filling nice and intact. My kids love filling cupcakes with “Whoop Cream” (as they all call it haha).

Ingredients for Filled Cupcakes

Especially if you are using a boxed cake mix, this recipe is SUPER easy! It really only takes a few ingredients and a few short minutes of prep time. Here’s what you need:

• Cake mix – You will also need the ingredients to prepare the cake mix which will likely include eggs, oil, and water. You can also prepare your own mix my using our Homemade Cake Mix Recipe.
• Filling – Use whipped cream, custard, pudding, jam or jelly, berries, pie filling, lemon curd, frosting, chocolate ganache, or any kind of filling you like!
• Frosting – Use store bought frosting or make your own vanilla buttercream frosting, chocolate buttercream frosting, or cream cheese frosting.

Store Bought Frosting Tip:

Did you know you can DOUBLE the frosting from a store-bought container using one EASY trick? Here’s what you do:

1. Get a container of store-bought frosting. We used this vanilla Funfetti frosting.
2. Place the container of frosting in a bowl.
3. Using a hand or stand mixer, WHIP at HIGH speed until the frosting has doubled. This just whips air into it making it lighter and fluffier.
4. If you want to make even more, add a little milk and powdered sugar a little at a time until you get the amount and consistency you want!

How to Make Filled Cupcakes

First, use a box cake mix (or you can make our homemade cake mix) to prepare cupcake batter and bake according to package instructions. Use cupcake liners to avoid mess and an ice cream or cookie scoop to scoop the batter.

Filling the Cupcakes

Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone shape out of the top of the cupcake by placing the knife at an angle into the cupcake top and cutting a circle, leaving the tip of the knife at the center of the cupcake. You can also use a cupcake corer but we find that using a knife is just as easy.

Remove the cut-out “cone” from the center of the cupcake and fill the hole with whipped cream (you can also use pudding, jam, berries, pie filling, or frosting). My kids wanted whipped cream so that is what we went with.

Frosting the Cupcakes

Place the cone back on the cupcake over the filling with the flat side DOWN.. so it looks like your cupcake is wearing a party hat.

Place your whipped frosting in a piping bag, and pipe frosting around the cone, and work upwards until the cone is covered. Add sprinkles and you’re done!

Cupcake Variations and Flavor Combo Ideas

• Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting
• Lemon cupcakes with lemon curd filling and lemon frosting
• Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter filling and peanut butter frosting
• Coconut cupcakes with haupia filling and coconut frosting
• Cherry Lime Cupcakes with Cherry Frosting and Filling

Let the Kids Join in on the Fun!

We turned our kitchen into a “fun zone” and let the kids go crazy with their cupcakes. I showed them how to do it, helped them with one or two cupcakes and then let them go hog-wild on the rest. It was a little tricky at first but they got the hang of it and made some pretty decent-looking cupcakes!

It was fun seeing their inner bakers shine as they made their cupcake creations. I gotta say, they are natural!

Read More: 33+ Easy Dessert Ideas

Make Your Own Frosting

Love cupcakes but want to make the frosting from scratch? We don’t blame ya, homemade frosting is far superior to store-bought. It just takes a few extra minutes to do. Here are some of our favorite frosting recipes to add to cupcakes:

More Tasty Cupcake Recipes

FAQs About Filled Cupcakes

How to Make Filled Cupcakes