Super Yummy Hibiscus Cupcakes
These delicious muffins get their colour from hibiscus blossom powder! They're tangy and sweet and topped with a cream cheese icing that will rock your world!
You guys, it's my last post of the year! I really wanted to go out with a delicious festive cupcake that you can enjoy either still today (if you have all the ingredients) or make for New Year's for your guests! Or any other day of the year! I'm sure they would be as big a hit as they are in my family!
I mean, look at that colour?! Who doesn't love a vibrant purple/ pink?! I am in love!
Now, obviously the colour doesn't stay as vibrant when baked but the muffins still have a nice purple tone to them afterwards. Plus combined with the purple icing, they are just gorgeous!
The colour comes from two things. On the one hand, I added hibiscus flower powder to the batter. That gives the muffins both a lovely tart flavor (kind of similar to lemon but with a floral note) and a lovely natural colour. If you don't have hibiscus flower powder, this is where I got mine. I can highly recommend their products in general and this product in particular. I love using it in dishes like this smoothie as well!
And then I also added a little bit of pink food dye to make the colour a bit stronger even. But that's totally optional!
The icing is a butter and cream cheese icing which also contains hibiscus blossom powder. In this case the powder is enough to give it this gorgeous strong pink/ purple tone! Plus a fantastic flavor - I could eat this icing with a spoon. I might just have...
Will you make these cupcakes soon? Or how about my Vegan Strawberry Pudding Muffins?
These delicious muffins get their colour from hibiscus blossom powder! They're tangy and sweet and topped with a cream cheese icing that will rock your world!
- 1/4 cup butter (room temperature)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 teaspoons hibiscus blossom powder (see notes)
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt (1.5%)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon pink food dye (optional)
- 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup cold cream cheese
- 3 teaspoons hibiscus flower powder
Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Line a muffin form with 6 paper muffin cups.
In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar for one minute.
In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and hibiscus powderr well.
Add to the butter sugar mixture and mix in.
In a separate bowl, mix together yogurt and milk.
Add to the other bowl and mix until just combined.
If desired, add pink food dye to get a pink-ish muffin when baked.
Divide the batter among 6 muffin forms lined with muffin cups.
Bake at 180°C (356°F) for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool off completely on a cooling rack.
For the icing, add butter (at room temperature) to a bowl and cream for 1 minute until almost white in colour.
Sift the powdered sugar and add to the butter mixture. Cream for two more minutes.
Add cold Philadelphia cream cheese and hibiscus powder. Mix together well.
When the muffins are completely cold (this will take at least one hour), pipe the icing on top. Dust with more hibiscus powder. Enjoy!
- This recipe makes 6 big cupcakes.
- Hibiscus Blossom Powder: this is where I got mine.
