Mountain Dew Cupcakes

Tomorrow I, along with a bunch of other geeky Seattleites, will be sitting in a movie theater for 15 hours. Yes, we are crazy. We’ll be enjoying AMC’s Ultimate Marvel Marathon: a day of Marvel movies leading up to a 3D midnight showing of The Avengers.  If you know me, you know I have a habit of falling asleep in action movies, so I know I need to do something special to stay awake that whole time. Enter Mountain Dew Cupcakes. They’re delicious, they give me energy, and they will help me make friends in the theater. I’ve been given clearance to bring some cupcakes in with me, but if your theater won’t allow them, I recommend this: Bring a baggie of unfrosted mini cupcakes in your purse or coat along with a small container of frosting. But don’t tell them I told you that.

These cupcakes are super easy to make, tasty, and are a great treat for game and movie nights. Like the Marvel wrappers/toppers? You can get them at Williams-Sonoma.

Mountain Dew Cupcakes
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 box classic yellow cake mix (Funfetti and Lemon cake mixes work as well)
  • 12 ounces Mountain Dew (plus some additional for glazing and frosting)
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 4-5 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • 3 drops green food coloring
  • 3 drops yellow food coloring
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prepare cupcake pans with wrappers
  2. Mix cake mix and 12 ounces of Mountain Dew in a bowl with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.
  3. Pour mixture into cupcake pans, filling each ⅔ full.
  4. Bake according to the directions on the back of the box, or when a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
  5. Using a pastry brush, "glaze" the tops of the hot cupcakes with Mountain Dew. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
  6. Frost and enjoy!
  7. Mountain Dew Frosting
  8. In an electric mixer, whip butter until fluffy.
  9. Add in 4 cups of powdered sugar, Mountain Dew, and lemon/lime juices slowly as you mix Add more powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.
  10. Add in food coloring, mix until color is even.

Delicious! Will you be seeing The Avengers this weekend?

65 Comments

  1. It will rise! It may not rise as high as other ones, though.

  2. My cuocakes are in the oven bit the batter didn’t taste like mtn dew. I don’t use a cake mix.mi made yellow cupcakrs firm scratch.I don’t measure mtn dew either. The batter was watery. Please,I can’t mess these cupcakes up,their for a bday

  3. The cupcakes themselves will taste a bit citrusy, but not exactly like Mountain Dew–the frosting will help with that. (The fact you’re using Mountain Dew in the batter will help with the overall taste of the cake, though!) To increase the flavor of the Dew, brush some Mountain Dew on the tops of the cupcakes once they get out of the oven and have cooled for a minute or two.. It’ll soak into the top, making it moist and flavorful!

  4. I love this recipe. Although you do say to follow the cooking directions on the box and then tell us what to preheat our ovens to. My box said 350* F not 325* and I’m wondering which to use (for now I split the difference). Guess we’ll see in about twenty minutes. This is by far the simplest Mt Dew recipe I’ve come across though, thank you. I especially love the idea of brushing them with Dew. 🙂

  5. These didn’t taste like mountain dew at all, and we followed the instructions exactly

  6. If you bake these take out the water from the cake mix and sub it with the Mountain Dew. From personal experience it will be too moiste and will not rise much if you don’t.

  7. Brittany, the only two ingredients you should be baking with are a can of Mountain Dew and the box of cake mix. Mix those two ingredients together, and then bake for the time and temperature directed on the back of the cake mix box.

  8. I started making these over a year ago because I found them on Pinterest!!!! They are AMAZING!!! Every time there is a need for cupcakes these are my go-to recipe! I have found that “brushing” the tops with Mtn Dew was enough flavor so I dunked the tops -quickly- in a shallow bowl of mountain dew instead! It boosted that flavor! I have very high praise for this recipe! I tried others before this one but this is the BEST by far!!!

  9. So do you not use the egg or the oil like it says on the box?

  10. Nope! You only use a can of Mountain Dew and the cake mix itself. You just bake it according to the temperature and time indicated on the back of the box.

  11. my cupcakes worked out amazing I put doritos on the top of the cupcakes to give it more flavor.

  12. We are baking this right now. I have also made a cake using lemon cake mix and Sprite. Top with cream cheese frosting.

  13. Ooh, I love the idea of a lemon cake mix! Yum!

  14. Can you use the cake mix with pudding?

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