Glow in the Dark Cupcakes
Sometimes it’s pretty cool to be a Rock Star Mom! I love it when the kids think what I make is cool, and let’s face it, those times are few and far between, especially with teenagers. These Glow in the Dark Cupcakes will put your kids {and adults} in awe of you, but Shhh…don’t tell them…they are really easy!
These are perfect for your Halloween Party or even a fun family Halloween Dinner. Just remember, you will need a black light to see them glow. Black lights are available at most department stores, like Walmart, Target, Ace Hardware, etc. It’s best to buy the actual black light though, we tried the light bulb and it didn’t work as well.
This cupcake shoot was a first for us, taking pictures at night has a whole new challenge. And let’s not mention that our neighbors think we are even crazier now. But it was totally worth it! I love how the cupcakes turned out.
Without the dark of night and the help of a black light, the Glow in the Dark Cupcakes are actually green. Let me show you how to make them…
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Glow in the Dark Cupcakes Directions
First you will need to frost your cupcakes. The recipe is below, but essentially it’s frosting with Tonic Water added. I found that using a star tip for decorating was best. We also tried orange frosting, but the white turned out best. After the cupcakes are frosted, pop them into the freezer while you make the jello.
And here is where most of the action happens…jello and tonic water!
Mix lime jello with 1 cup boiling water and stir about 2 minutes until dissolved.
Add 1 cup tonic water to the jello. You can find tonic water near the liquor in your grocery store.
Now fill a large bowl with ice water and place the bowl of jello in. Continue to stir. You want the jello to cool down, but not begin to set up. When the jello is cool to the touch, remove it from the ice water.
Now it’s time to dip the cupcakes. Remove a couple at a time from the fridge and dip into the jello. Place them back into the freezer for 5 minutes. Repeat this dipping – freezing process 6 times. Be sure to stir the jello each time and watch it so it doesn’t start setting up. If it does get thick, dipping 4 times will work as well, but 6 is better.
Keep cupcakes in fridge or freezer until you are ready to serve them. And store leftovers in the fridge as well. You should be able to make them a day or so ahead, although the ones I made I used the same day.
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Glow in the Dark Cupcakes
Your kids will think you are a Rock Star when you make their cupcakes Glow in the Dark. Recipe from HoosierHomemde.com.
Ingredients
Frosting
- 1 cup Real Butter
- 4 - 6 cups Powdered Sugar
- 5 tablespoons tonic water
- 1-2 tablespoons Vanilla
Glow in the Dark Dip
- 1 small box lime jello
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup tonic water
Instructions
Frosting
- Beat butter until smooth, gradually add powdered sugar, alternate with tonic water
- Stir in vanilla
- Frosting should be stiff for these cupcakes
Glow in the Dark
- Mix jello and boiling water, stir 2 minutes until dissolved
- Add tonic water and stir
- Place in large bowl with ice water and stir until jello is cool to the touch
- Remove jello from ice bath
- Remove a couple cupcakes from the freezer at a time and dip in jello mixture
- Place back in freezer, repeat dipping and freezing process 4-6 times
Notes
Be sure to have your frosting stiff, not super stiff though, it will work better when dipping.
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I love this! I make cupcakes all the time! I need to keep this recipe!!
Super cool, and yet kinda creepy that something as “plain” as tonic water will do something like that! My boys would love this, I bet.
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This is such an awesome idea! I am totally putting this on my to-make list for my Halloween party! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
What fun cupcakes!
Glow in the dark cupcakes??? Brilliant!! Winner!
Here from Inspire ME Monday.
Thanks so much Melinda! So excited you like the Glow in the Dark Cupcakes!
~Liz
What?!!! this is crazy cool. . I need to try this!!!
Thanks for stopping by Alice! I know, they are pretty neat!
Happy Baking!
~Liz
Have you ever tried this on a cake? My granddaughter wants a glow in the dark cake for her birthday!
Thanks!
Hi Lorraine, I have not tried it, but I’m sure it would work okay. You, obliviously, just wouldn’t be able to dip the cake in the jello mixture.
Happy Baking!
~Liz
Maybe you could brush the jello on with a pastry brush.
Thank you for a great how-to article! I have linked to it from my website, glowinthedarkpartyideas.com. I’d love to try this with my own kids!
OK – now I think I got it. What you meant by “it needs to be larger than a light bulb” you meant it absolutely needs to be a BLACK light. Regular household light bulbs won’t work.
What a cool idea. How in the world did you ever think to combine jello & tonic water to make glow in the dark frosting????? I can see why your neighbors are watching YOUR house. HAHAHAHA TV stations and photographers used a green screen so wonder, like the other readers, if the jello has to be green.
You mentioned black lights can be purchased at Home Depot but they have to be bigger than a regular light bulb. Did you mean to get the highest wattage possible or that the bulb has to actually be larger in size, like maybe an outdoor flood light? What type of bulb (size, wattage) did you find works best?
Thanks.
Hi Tavette, black lights are the same size as a regular light bulb, you can also find them at Walmart. I did not test any other flavor of jello besides green, but the glowing comes from the tonic water, so other flavors should work.
Now that I’m looking at the photos again, it seems your cupcakes (dipped in green jello) look blue under the black light. The entire top of the cupcake glows, not just where the green stuck to the frosting. I’m a little confused as it seems only the green streaks (on frosting) would glow. ????
Can it be done with any color jello?
Hi Joe, I have not tried it with another flavor of jello, but you could certainly try.
~Liz
Yes, any flavour will work because it’s the tonic water that makes it glow, not the jello 🙂 It will always glow blue, no matter what flavour jello you use, and you will always need a black light.