If ever there was a time for a rainbow cake, it’s now! These inspired St Patrick’s Day cakes and cupcakes are the perfect centrepiece for your Irish-themed celebrations, whether you’re baking for a class party, a family gathering, or just because it’s a fun excuse to get the green food colouring out.
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If you’re looking for a dessert or treat to really wow everyone, these St Patrick’s Day cakes and cupcakes definitely fit the bill!
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Super St Patrick’s Day Cakes
1. Leprechaun Hat Cake
Image: Hungry Happenings
Green fondant and some simple detailing transform your favourite round cake into your very own leprechaun hat! Not only does this leprechaun hat cake from Hungry Happenings stand out, it has a shamrock surprise hiding inside for you to discover!
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2. Lucky Rainbow Leprechaun Hat
Image: Betty Crocker
Rainbows and leprechauns go together, right? This bright, cheery rainbow leprechaun cake from Betty Crocker is perfect – plus it has a Lucky Charms cereal treat base for an extra surprise!
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3. Simple Smarties
Image: Taste
Keep it quick and simple, and decorate your favourite cake with some Smarties or M&Ms in a rainbow pattern like this one from Taste.
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4. Green Petal Cake
Image: Bird on a Cake
Bird on a Cake used three shades of green buttercream to decorate this petal cake for St Patrick’s Day. The final effect is a real showstopper!
5. Leprechaun Cake
Image: CakeWalkr
Are you ready to catch a leprechaun this St Patrick’s Day? Give it your best shot with this beautiful leprechaun cake from Cakewalkr. Moist chocolate cake is combined with creme de menthe buttercream, then topped with lots of fondant shamrocks – yum!
6. A Twist on Traditional
Image: Tablespoon
This rainbow Swiss roll is a show-stopping twist on the classic and would be perfect for a party.
While this recipe from Tablespoon uses a box cake, any Swiss roll recipe, coloured and baked the same way, would work just as well.
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7. Watercolour Drip Cake
Image: Sprinkles for Breakfast
Learn two simple but highly effective techniques with this watercolour drip cake from Sprinkles for Breakfast. The marbled watercolour buttercream looks fantastic and could be tailored for many events and seasons.
8. Rainbow Clouds
Image: Cake by Courtney
Cake by Courtney’s step-by-step tutorial for creating the perfect buttercream rainbows will help transform any cake!
9. Pot of Gold Kit Kat Cake
Image: Pinterest
Skip the buttercream and fondant – instead, surround your cake with Kit Kat fingers or chocolate finger biscuits, then pile on gold chocolate coins and wrapped sweets for a real pot of gold cake!
10. Rainbow Roses
Image: Land O’ Lakes
Amp up the rainbow colours! This stunning cake from Land O’Lakes features rainbow layers and is adorned with beautiful rainbow buttercream roses for a really eye-catching finish.
11. Leprechaun Trap Cake
Image: Not Martha
How cute is this?! This may look like a perfectly innocent cake meant to lure a leprechaun to the top, but Not Martha created this leprechaun trap cake with a few secrets to discover!
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St Patrick’s Day Cupcakes to Try
12. Green Velvet Cupcakes
Image: Garnish & Glaze
Get in the St Patrick’s Day spirit with these rich and fluffy green velvet cupcakes – they’re topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting and finished with a chocolate gold coin!
13. Pot of Gold Cupcakes
Image: Baking a Moment
Make these pot of gold cupcakes from Baking a Moment for your crew this St Patrick’s Day. They’ll love the rich, dark chocolate cake with the rainbow striped frosting – and the gold coin on top is a fun touch!
14. Rainbow Cupcakes
Image: Dessert Now, Dinner Later
These playful rainbow cupcakes from Dessert Now, Dinner Later are making us drool! The bright colours in perfect layers, peaked cupcakes, and whipped cream cheese frosting – so much goodness going on in one cupcake!
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15. Shamrock Shake Cupcakes
Image: Crazy for Crust
Have you ever had a shamrock shake? The seasonal favourite is the inspiration for these shamrock shake cupcakes from Crazy for Crust. Get your tastebuds ready for mint cupcakes topped with a vanilla milkshake frosting – yum!
16. Leprechaun Hat Pull-Apart Cupcakes
Turn a batch of cupcakes into something unique with this idea for pull-apart cupcakes, designed to look like a leprechaun hat, from Hungry Happenings.
17. Shamrock Pull-Apart Cake
Image: Yellow Bliss Road
Another great idea for a fun pull-apart cake is this shamrock cupcake cake from Yellow Bliss Road.
18. Rainbow Cupcakes
Image: Positively Splendid
These fun rainbow cupcakes from Positively Splendid would be a really impressive addition to your menu – with little effort! Just add a strip of rainbow candy to create a rainbow over your vanilla buttercream, then finish with some marshmallow “clouds” for the perfect St Patrick’s Day treat.
19. Lucky Charm Cupcakes
Image: Inspired by Charm
Baked with Lucky Charms cereal, these Lucky Charms cupcakes from Inspired by Charm are a creative and tasty St Patrick’s Day treat.
20. A Rainbow of Cupcakes
Image: Pinterest
Create your own rainbow with cupcakes, thanks to this clever and deceptively simple idea we found on Pinterest!
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FAQs About St Patrick’s Day Cakes and Cupcakes
What’s the easiest way to make a St Patrick’s Day cake?
The quickest option is to bake your usual favourite cake or cupcakes and decorate with green buttercream, Smarties, or M&Ms in rainbow colours. You don’t need fondant skills to get a festive look.
How do I get bright green icing without a strange taste?
Use a gel or paste food colouring rather than liquid colouring – you’ll get a deeper green with less product, so the taste stays true to your buttercream or frosting.
Do I need fondant to make these cakes?
No. While some of the designs above use fondant for extra detail, plenty of the ideas – like the Smarties cake or rainbow cupcakes – use only buttercream and shop-bought sweets.
Are these ideas suitable for kids to help with?
Many of them are. Decorating with sweets, sprinkles, or piped buttercream rainbows are great tasks to hand over to little helpers, while more detailed fondant work is best done by an adult.
Can I make these ahead of the day?
Most cakes and cupcakes can be baked a day or two ahead and stored in an airtight container, then decorated closer to the time so the icing stays fresh.
Related Articles
- 28 Fun Rainbow Desserts, Cakes and Treats to Brighten Your Day
- Get Your Green On with 11 Fun St Patrick’s Day Face Paint Ideas!
- Luck Of The Irish! Easy St Patrick’s Day Crafts For Kids
- 8 Fun & Easy St Patrick’s Day Recipes Your Kids will Love
Save These Ideas for Later
Not baking today? Bookmark this page or pin your favourite cake so it’s ready when you need it. There’s plenty more St Patrick’s Day inspiration to browse across the site too.
Have your say! Will any of these St Patrick’s Day cakes be on your table this year? Leave a comment below and let us know – we’d love to hear from you!
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