These cupcakes use a can of White Claw Black Cherry in place of the water or milk you’d normally add to a box cake mix — the seltzer keeps the crumb light and adds a mild fruity tang that plain water doesn’t give you. The same can covers both the batter and the buttercream, so you’re not buying anything extra just for a tablespoon of liquid. At 35 minutes start to finish and 208 calories per cupcake, this is a solid batch-bake for a party without a lot of fuss.
Smart swaps
- White Claw Black Cherry: Any flavoured hard seltzer works — mango, lime, or raspberry all behave the same way in the batter. A non-alcoholic sparkling water with a splash of black cherry juice is a reasonable stand-in if you want to skip the alcohol entirely.
- White cake mix: Yellow or vanilla cake mix works fine here. The colour of the finished cupcake will be slightly warmer, but the texture and flavour are nearly identical.
- Vegetable oil: Melted coconut oil or canola oil are direct swaps in the same quantity.
- Fresh black cherries: Skip the garnish — not worth the extra dish if cherries aren’t in season. A maraschino cherry from the jar works, or just leave the top of the frosting plain.
- Unsalted butter for frosting: Salted butter is fine; just leave out any extra pinch of salt and taste as you go.
Before you start
The one thing that actually matters here is the temperature of your butter for the frosting. Cold butter will leave lumps no amount of extra beating will fix, and melted butter will make the frosting runny and greasy. Pull it from the fridge about 45 minutes before you start — it should dent easily when you press it but still hold its shape. The second thing worth knowing: seltzer loses its carbonation quickly once the can is open, so measure out your 240ml for the batter and your 60ml for the frosting before you start mixing anything, then seal or use the rest promptly. The bubbles are doing real work in the batter, making the crumb lighter, so you want them intact when they hit the bowl.
If something goes sideways
- Cupcakes domed and cracked on top: The oven was likely too hot. Check your oven temperature with a thermometer — many home ovens run 15–25°F hotter than the dial says. Next batch, drop the temperature by 10–15°F.
- Cupcakes sank in the middle: The batter was probably overfilled past the two-thirds mark, or the oven door was opened before the 15-minute mark. Fill liners no more than two-thirds full and resist checking early.
- Frosting looks curdled or separated: This usually means the butter was too cold when you started. Set the bowl over a pan of warm water for 30 seconds, then beat again on medium-high — it should come back together.
- Frosting is gritty: Powdered sugar that wasn’t sifted is almost always the cause. Press the frosting through a fine-mesh sieve and beat again, or sift the sugar before the next batch.
- Cupcakes stuck to the liners: They were likely underbaked or pulled from the tin while still warm. Let them cool fully on the rack — at least 30 minutes — before peeling the liner away.
Leftovers and make-ahead
Frosted cupcakes keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days; set them out for 20 minutes before serving so the frosting softens back up. If you want to get ahead, bake the cupcakes the night before and store them covered at room temperature — unfrosted, they hold well overnight without drying out. The buttercream can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept in a sealed container in the fridge; give it a quick 1-minute beat before piping. For longer storage, freeze unfrosted cupcakes in a zip-lock bag for up to 2 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge and frost the next day.
White Claw Black Cherry Cupcakes (Easy Boozy Recipe)
Equipment
- Standard 12-cup muffin tin (x2)
- 24 cupcake liners
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Piping bag with large star tip
- Wire cooling rack
- Toothpick (for doneness test)
Ingredients
To Make The Cupcake:
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1 can White Claw Black Cherry Hard Seltzer 12 fl oz / 355ml, divided: about 240ml for batter, 60ml for frosting
- 3 medium eggs
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil 80ml
To Make The Frosting:
- ½ cup butter unsalted, softened, 1 stick / 113g
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted, 360g
- ¼ cup White Claw Black Cherry Hard Seltzer 60ml
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 24 fresh black cherries with stems or maraschino cherries, patted dry
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C (180°C fan-forced). Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the white cake mix, White Claw Black Cherry Hard Seltzer, eggs, and vegetable oil. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides halfway through, until the batter is smooth and well combined.1 box white cake mix, 1 can White Claw Black Cherry Hard Seltzer, 3 medium eggs, ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- Divide the batter evenly among the 24 cupcake liners, filling each about ⅔ full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (about 30 minutes).
- While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting. Beat the softened butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating after each addition. Add the White Claw Black Cherry Hard Seltzer and vanilla extract, then increase to medium-high and beat for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. If the frosting is too thin, add powdered sugar 2 tablespoons at a time. If too thick, add a teaspoon of seltzer.½ cup butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup White Claw Black Cherry Hard Seltzer, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Once the cupcakes are completely cool, frost using a piping bag fitted with a large star tip — start from the outside edge and swirl inward for a professional finish. Alternatively, spread the frosting on with an offset spatula or knife. Top each cupcake with a fresh black cherry.24 fresh black cherries with stems
Notes
Nutrition
Common questions
Can I taste the alcohol in these cupcakes?
Not really — the alcohol content is low to begin with, and most of it bakes off in the oven. What you’re left with is a mild fruity flavour in the crumb and a very slight tang in the frosting, both of which read more as ‘interesting’ than ‘boozy’ to most people.
Can I make this recipe with a different flavour of hard seltzer?
Yes, any flavour swaps in at the same volume with no other changes needed. Mango and lime both work particularly well with the white cake base, and raspberry is another easy option if that’s what you have on hand.
Do I need a piping bag, or can I just spread the frosting?
An offset spatula or even a regular butter knife works fine — spreading gives you a more casual look, which is perfectly good for a backyard gathering. If you want the swirled finish, a zip-lock bag with one corner snipped off is a workable substitute for a proper piping bag.
More recipes to try
- Chocolate brownies
- Classic soft sugar cookies
- Giant chocolate chip cookie cake
- Strawberry cake with fresh berries
