Father's Day Cupcakes

By Food & Wine
Updated May 01, 2017
Credit: © Frances Janisch
It’s Father’s Day, the time to celebrate Dad and all that he does. If you’re looking for a gift that’s festive, homemade, and delicious, then take a peek at our collection of Father’s Day Cupcake Recipes. (Baking is also a great way to involve little helping hands!) You’re celebrating someone special, so go all out on flavor with recipes like Rocky Road Cupcakes. These decadent cupcakes are all about the topping—a salty-sweet combination of peanuts, chocolate chips, and marshmallows. And why stop at just one frosting? Justin Chapple’s recipe for Black and White Cupcakes swirls chocolate and vanilla frostings on top of each moist chocolate cake. "For some reason most bakers don't fill their cupcakes," says Peggy Cullen, owner of Lucky Star Sweets, "but taking that extra step is no big deal." If you haven’t tried stuffed cupcakes yet, this is the time. To fill a cupcake, simply fill a pastry bag with icing, custard, or cream, then press it into the top of the cupcake. Only squeeze the bag until the filling reaches the top of the hole; you want to cut open the cupcake to reveal the surprise filling, not crack the cupcake and have it come out the sides. If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can also make the hole in the cupcake with the end of a wooden spoon, then fill a Ziploc bag with your filling, cut off the corner, and pipe it in. We’ve shared some of our favorite filled cupcake recipes, like Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Filling (they’re basically a homemade Hostess cupcake) and our Double Dark Chocolate Cupcakes, which are filled with a rich peanut butter ganache. Is Dad gluten-free? He can still enjoy our Peanut Butter Cupcakes, which are stuffed with creamy banana custard. Click through the slideshow to see more of our favorite Father’s Day cupcake recipes, then get baking. It’s the perfect project while Dad’s sleeping in. —Carrie Mullins
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Black-and-White Cupcakes

Credit: Christina Holmes
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F&W’s Justin Chapple has an ingeniously simple method for creating fun, two-tone frosting swirls to top his moist and delicious cupcakes.

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Gluten-Free Pumpkin-Ginger Cupcakes

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These supermoist, gluten-free cupcakes have terrific pumpkin flavor and an irresistible topping of fluffy, creamy frosting and golden caramel sauce.

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Rocky Road Cupcakes

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Peanuts, chocolate chips and marshmallows create the classic Rocy Road combination, topping these decadent cupcakes.

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Zucchini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

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It is hard to eat just one of these nutty, gingery, cinnamony cupcakes with their bright-green flecks of grated zucchini.

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Double Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Filling

Credit: © Dana Gallagher
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Peggy Cullen, the owner of Lucky Star Sweets, fills her tender chocolate cupcakes with a creamy, salty peanut butter mixture; then she dips the tops twice in a rich, silky chocolate ganache frosting. "For some reason most bakers don't fill their cupcakes," says Cullen, "but taking that extra step is no big deal." All you need to do is poke a hole into the top and squeeze in the ultrasimple blend of peanut butter, sugar and butter.

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Banana Custard-Stuffed Peanut Butter Cupcakes

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These stuffed, gluten-free cupcakes are completely over-the-top but well worth the effort.

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Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Filling

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Similar to the classic Hostess cupcakes, these rich chocolate cupcakes are filled with a fluffy cream filling.

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Chocolate Cupcakes with Caramel Ganache and Coconut

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It’s hard to eat just one of these cupcakes, which combine moist, light chocolate cake with rich, chocolate-caramel frosting and flaky coconut.

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German Chocolate Cupcakes

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German chocolate cake, while flavored with coconut, is usually made with all-purpose wheat flour. In this gluten-free twist, coconut flour and 10 eggs are combined to create dense, delicious cupcakes.

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Cocoa Crème Fraîche Cupcakes

Credit: © Frances Janisch
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Meg Ray and Caitlin Alissa Williams usually bake this wonderfully rich cocoa crème fraîche batter in a loaf pan, but it bakes even faster in cupcake tins. If the amount of batter fills more than one standard 12-cup muffin pan, just bake the rest in sturdy foil baking cups set on a baking sheet.

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