Jelly Bean Cupcakes with Jelly Bellys Inside and Out

These colorful, fun and festive cupcakes with Jelly Belly jelly beans inside and out are as delicious as they are pretty.

These scrumptious cupcakes are semi-homemade with a boxed cake mix and a quick and easy homemade buttercream frosting.

But the stars of the show are….Jelly Belly jelly beans.

They’re not only on top of the cupcakes but also inside of the cupcakes.

I found that for the inside of the cupcakes, Jelly Bellys work the best because…

1. Jelly Bellys are lighter (in weight) than regular or larger size jelly beans.

– so they don’t sink to the bottom of the cupcake when added to the batter like the larger jelly beans do

2. Jelly Bellys are the same color in the middle of the jelly bean as they are on the outside of the jelly bean

– this adds more color on the inside of the cupcakes even after the candy melts down a bit when baked in the batter

– the larger size jelly beans are often white or clear in the middle which leaves little to no color inside the cupcake after it’s baked

These cupcakes are made from a box of white cake mix.  

The white color of the cake is a beautiful contrast to the bright and fun colors of the jelly beans.

The edible grass on these cupcakes is made out of shredded or flaked coconut and green food coloring.

Feel free to change up the color of the grass from green to pink, blue or whatever color you like.

When it comes to the theme of these jelly bean cupcakes, the possibilities are endless for customization.  

Whether the theme is all pink, all light blue, unicorn, rainbow or holiday…all you need for the color scheme are the applicable Jelly Belly colors,  food coloring to match or contrast, and themed paper cupcake liners.  

Amount of Jelly Bellys and Paper Liners Needed:

Although the box of cake mix that I used says that it makes 24 cupcakes, when filling the cupcake liners 3/4’s full of batter, the yield was 17 cupcakes.

Amount of Jelly Bellys

1. The inside of each cupcake has a total of 8 Jelly Bellys (one layer of 5, and another layer of 3)

2. The decoration on top has 3 to 5 Jelly Bellys

3. If using 3 jelly bellys for the decoration on top, that’s 11 Jelly Bellys per cupcake (if using 4 or 5 jelly bellys for the decoration it would be 12 and 13 jelly beans per cupcake respectfully)

– if using 3 jelly bellys for the decoration on top of each cupcake, that’s 11 jelly beans in total, times 17 cupcakes which equals 187 Jelly Belly jelly beans

– if using 4 jelly bellys for the decoration on top of each cupcake, that’s 12 jelly beans in total, times 17 cupcakes which equals 204 Jelly Belly jelly beans

– if using 5 jelly bellys for the decoration on top of each cupcake, that’s 13 jelly beans in total, times 17 cupcakes which equals 221 Jelly Belly jelly beans 

4. To figure out how many Jelly Bellys are in a package, container or bag, multiply the amount per serving noted on the packaging times the number of servings in the package

5. The bag of Jelly Bellys that I used was 6.75 ounces and based on the servings and amount per serving, the package had 162 jelly beans in it (there were actually a few more…bonus!)

Amount of Cupcake Liners

1. An option is to use 2 liners per cupcake (one that the cupcake is baked in and a second one that is added just before serving)

– using the second cupcake liner adds a nice festive color to the cupcakes

– if using 2 liners for each cupcake, then 34 are needed

– both of the liners can match or be similar in color and print (in this post, the second cupcake liner used is a bit different from the liner that the cupcake was baked in)

Here are more themed dessert recipes you may like “Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes” and “Chocolate Cupcakes with Tootsie Roll Goblins” and “Gingerbread Cookie Dough Reindeer Pops“. 

Let’s check out the ingredients.

For the Cupcakes – boxed white cake mix, canola oil, egg whites, and water (or the ingredients according to package instructions), Jelly Belly jelly beans (all colors except black and white), and paper cupcake liners

For the Buttercream Frosting – powdered sugar, softened butter, milk and vanilla extract

For the Topping and Decorations – sweetened shredded coconut (or coconut flakes), green food coloring, Jelly Belly jelly beans, or regular size jelly beans if preferred

A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.

Here’s how to make it.

For the Cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (or according to package instructions).

Fill the cupcake pan with paper liners.  Set aside.

To a large bowl, according to the package instructions, add cake mix, egg whites, canola oil and water.

Beat with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes or whisk by hand for 2 minutes (or follow package instructions).

Fill each cupcake liner 3/4’s full of cake batter (a small amount of batter should be left over).

In the cupcake liner, on top of the batter, lay 5 Jelly Belly jelly beans.

TIPS:

1. make sure to lay the Jelly Belly jelly beans flat

2. don’t use white or black colored jelly beans on the inside of the cupcakes (or the popcorn flavored Jelly Bellys since they’re such a light color).

3. don’t let the jelly beans touch each other, or touch the sides of the cupcake paper liners

– if they get too close to one another they may bunch up together; if they touch the paper liners the jelly beans may stick to the paper and pull out of the cupcake when the liner is removed

Next,

For each cupcake, add about 1 teaspoon of cake batter on top of the jelly beans (don’t cover up all of the jelly beans, let a little show through).

TIP:  The total amount of batter for each cupcake should fill the paper liner to 3/4’s full.

On top of the batter, add 3 more Jelly Belly jelly beans.

TIPS: (same as when adding the first layer of jelly beans)

1. make sure to lay the Jelly Belly jelly beans flat

2. don’t use white or black colored jelly beans on the inside of the cupcakes (or the popcorn flavored Jelly Bellys since they’re such a light color).

3. don’t let the jelly beans touch each other, or touch the sides of the cupcake paper liners

– if they get too close to one another they may bunch up together; if they touch the paper liners the jelly beans may stick to the paper and pull out of the cupcake when the liner is removed

Bake in a preheated oven according to package instructions until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean (between 18 and 21 minutes, or according to the package instructions).

Carefully transfer the cupcakes from the pan onto a rack.

Let cool completely before frosting them.

For the Green Coconut Topping:

The green “coconut grass” topping needs to be put on top of the cupcake as soon as it’s frosted so that it will stick to the top.

So before making the frosting, make the “green grass” first.

For the Green Grass –  To a small bowl, add shredded or flaked coconut.

To the coconut…

…add 7 drops of green food coloring.

With a small spoon, mix together until the coconut is lightly coated in green.  Set aside.

For the Buttercream Frosting:

To a large mixing bowl, add softened butter…

…powdered sugar…

…milk…

…and vanilla extract.

Next…

Set a mixer to the slowest speed and beat the ingredients carefully so that the powdered sugar doesn’t fly out of the bowl.

Once the powdered sugar starts to mix in with the butter and milk (about two minutes), then increase the speed on the mixer and beat the ingredients until smooth (about another 3 or 4 minutes).

Frosting the Cupcakes and Adding the Decorations:

TIP:  Frost each cupcake one at a time, and right after frosting each one…

…add the green shredded coconut (so it will stick to the frosting)…

…top with 3 to 5 Jelly Belly jelly beans (so they’ll also stick to the frosting).   

Or add the preferred amount of jelly beans on top. 

Larger size jelly beans can be used for decoration if preferred (using them inside of the cupcakes isn’t recommended).

Here’s an example of what the larger size jelly beans look like on top of the cupcake if you’d like to use them.  

Depending on the theme of the cupcakes…

…various colors can be used for the inside…

…and the outside of the cupcakes…

And the best part is…

…that these cupcakes are delicious.

The inside of the cupcakes actually take on the flavor of the Jelly Bellys.

Thank you so much for stopping by CCC!

More Themed Dessert Recipes You May Like:

Bunny Bottom Dirt Cup Desserts

Easter Krispy Treats

Decorated Halloween Graveyard S’mores

Funfetti Red, White and Blue Skillet Biscuits with Icing

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This recipe was originally posted on March 28, 2012.