It’s fun to get into the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day even if you’re not Irish. My English born, but Brooklyn raised dad made sure each family member wore some green that day. My French mom got into the Irish spirit by cooking up corned beef and cabbage, a green Jell-o mold, and one year – green mashed potatoes!
However, if you’re the parent of a gluten free child, St. Patrick’s Day can be frustrating if they’re faced with a day of gluten filled green cookies and cupcakes. It’s no fun to feel left out of the party! That’s why I’ve created a gluten free and somewhat guilt free St. Patrick’s Day dessert – Pot of Gold Filled Cupcakes.
Why St. Patrick’s Day Pot of Gold Filled Cupcakes?
We all know the story about the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, right? In Irish folklore, fairies put a pot of gold at the end of each rainbow with leprechauns guarding it. This is why you see so many rainbows and leprechauns during St. Patrick’s Day.
I took inspiration from the pot of gold story, and came up with easy to make green gold filled St. Patrick’s Day cupcake. So how can you make cupcakes “gold filled” but keep them somewhat healthy (or a bit guilt free), too? By using my Easy & Healthy Apple Pie Filling recipe that’s low in sugar! (Note: You’ll only need half the recipe for the Gluten Free St. Patrick’s Day Pot Of Gold Filled Cupcakes. Or you can make a full recipe and use the leftovers on breakfast oatmeal or yogurt – delish!)
To make these cupcakes even easier, I used Pillsbury Funfetti Gluten Free Premium Cake & Cupcake Mix and Pillsbury Funfetti Vibrant Green Vanilla Frosting (the frosting is marked gluten free on the can). For more information about Pillsbury’s gluten free products, go to their website.
Tips on how to fill the St. Patrick’s Day Pot of Gold Filled Cupcakes
You don’t need a magic leprechaun to help you fill the cupcakes with apple pie filling. Instead, use this easy to do trick – first, you bake the St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes, and after they cool, you fill them!
Taking a small cookie cutter, core out the center of the cupcake. (I used the end of a large pastry frosting tip.)
Remove the core from what you used to cut it, and compact it a bit. This will serve as the lid after you fill the center of the cupcake.
Press down the inside of the cupcake give you enough room to fill it with 1 tablespoon of apple pie filling.
After filling, place the lid over the hole. Done! You now have a filled cupcake ready for frosting. No one will know it’s filled with yummy apple pie filling (the pot of gold!) until they bite into it.
Frosting Tip: I find Pillsbury Funfetti Frosting a bit thin for piping compared to the frosting I make from scratch using powdered sugar and shortening. If you’re used to a stiffer frosting for piping, place the can in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. This will help make it feel a bit thicker.
More ideas for filled holiday cupcakes
St. Patrick’s Day isn’t the only holiday day you can use this gluten free pot of gold apple pie filled cupcake.
Use this same filled cupcake technique on:
- Easter: Pillsbury Pillsbury Funfetti Gluten Free Premium Cake & Cupcake Mix and Pillsbury Funfetti Frosting in pink, light blue, yellow, and other fun pastel colors. (I believe that all the Funfetti frostings are gluten free. However, please double check the label!)
- Fourth of July/Memorial Day: Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix and Pillsbury Funfetti Frosting in red, white, and blue
- Fall and Halloween: Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake Mix and Pillsbury Funfetti Frosting in orange, red and yellow
- Christmas: Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix and Pillsbury Funfetti Frosting in red and green
- Hanukkah: Pillsbury Funfetti Gluten Free Premium Cake & Cupcake Mix and Pillsbury Funfetti Frosting in blue
- Valentine’s Day: Pillsbury Funfetti Gluten Free Premium Cake & Cupcake Mix and Pillsbury Funfetti Frosting in red
- To celebrate sports championships games like soccer, football, basketball, baseball, and world sporting events: Pillsbury Funfetti Gluten Free Premium Cake & Cupcake Mix and Pillsbury Funfetti Frosting in your team’s or country’s colors
You can also use this filled cupcake technique will your favorite muffin recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 box Pillsbury Funfetti Gluten Free Premium Cake & Cupcake Mix
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 Easy & Healthy Apple Pie Filling recipe
- 1 container Pillsbury Funfetti Vibrant Green Vanilla Frosting
Directions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper baking cup liners to make 24 regular-size cupcakes.
- Make cupcake batter as directed on the box. Fill each muffin cup half full with 3 tablespoons batter.
- Bake 19-23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pans 10 minutes. Then transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool for 30 minutes.
- Taking a small round cookie or canape cutter, core out the center of the cupcake. Remove the core from the cutter, and compact it a bit. This will serve as the lid after you fill the center of the cupcake.
- Press down the inside of the cupcake give you enough room to spoon in 1 tablespoon of apple pie filling. After filling, place the lid over the hole.
- Transfer the frosting to frosting piping bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe the frosting in a circular pattern on tops of cupcakes. Or you can frost cupcakes with an offset spatula instead.
- Store cupcakes at room temperature or in the refrigerator before serving.
- Serving size: 1 cupcake
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