These beautiful and delicious Hibiscus Cupcakes will be perfect for any party, celebration, or shower. These pink cupcakes are made with hibiscus flower syrup and topped with creamy hibiscus buttercream frosting.
Jump to:
- Why I love these Hibiscus Cupcakes
- Are Hibiscus Flowers Edible?
- Are Hibiscus Flowers Good For You?
- Where to find dried hibiscus flowers?
- How to Make Hibiscus Syrup for Hibiscus Cupcakes
- What else can you make with hibiscus simple syrup?
- Why do you add red food coloring to the hibiscus cupcake batter?
- Hibiscus Cupcakes
Why I love these Hibiscus Cupcakes
Anytime I can make a cupcake with a unique flavor, I'm in! I also love the beautiful pink color created by the hibiscus syrup in the buttercream frosting on these Hibiscus Cupcakes, just like my Hibiscus Margaritas and my Hibiscus Pisco Sour.
While the flavor is subtle, I believe it's just enough to be unique and it's certainly delicious, similar to my Lilac Cupcakes. These cupcakes are perfect for Valentine's Day, a shower, or just for fun.
Are Hibiscus Flowers Edible?
Hibiscus flowers are edible and most commonly seen in dried form or tea. When the flowers are boiled in water, they create a deep red color and can be a little sour. Hibiscus tea is common throughout the world and is usually used as a medicinal tea.
Are Hibiscus Flowers Good For You?
Hibiscus flowers contain antioxidants and essential compounds which are said to come with many health benefits like balancing blood pressure, lowering blood pressure, lowering blood sugar, lowering cholesterol, boosting immunity, and many more!
Where to find dried hibiscus flowers?
As with most things nowadays, you can find dried hibiscus flowers online. I have also had luck finding them at my local grocery store in the Mexican/Hispanic Food aisle or at a Mexican grocery store.
How to Make Hibiscus Syrup for Hibiscus Cupcakes
To make hibiscus syrup, place water and sugar into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the hibiscus flowers, cloves, and cinnamon stick to the pan and bring to a boil.
Boil the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then remove it from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool and steep for at least 1 hour. Check out my post for Hibiscus Syrup to get the full recipe.
What else can you make with hibiscus simple syrup?
You will most likely end up with extra syrup, and here are a few ideas of what to do with it:
- Add it to tea
- Pour over ice cream, waffles, or pancakes
- Use it to make a cocktail like these Hibiscus Margaritas or a Hibiscus Pisco Sour
Why do you add red food coloring to the hibiscus cupcake batter?
While the hibiscus syrup turns the buttercream frosting a beautiful pink color, the cake batter is a different story. Because of the butter and egg, the addition of the hibiscus syrup turns the batter into an odd greyish color.
To fix this, just add a few drops of red food coloring and you batter will be a bright pink that bakes up lovely and works perfectly with the pink frosting. You can skip this step, but I would encourage you to add the food coloring.
If you get a chance to make this Hibiscus Cupcake Recipe, tag me on Instagram or Facebook and show me, or leave a review below! You can also follow me on Pinterest and sign up for my e-mail list to receive more fun and delicious recipes in your inbox.
Hibiscus Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
Hibiscus Cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 2 tablespoons hibiscus syrup
- ½ cup milk, room temp
- 4-5 drops red food coloring (optional)
Hibiscus Buttercream Frosting
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp (¾ cup)
- 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
- 4 tablespoons hibiscus syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream
- dried hibiscus flowers for decoration (optional)
Instructions
Hibiscus Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl together and set aside.
- In another bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, this takes a few minutes. Beat in the egg and hibiscus syrup until combined.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and mix them into the butter mixture using a spatula or spoon. Add half of the milk and mix it in. Add another half of the dry ingredients and combine. Add the rest of the milk and mix just until combined. Be careful not to over-mix, or your cupcakes will be dense.
- Now you will have an oddly greyish-purple batter. You can cook it this way, but I recommend adding a few drops of red food coloring. The batter becomes a pretty pink color perfect for these cupcakes.
- Fill the cupcake liners with the batter and bake for 20-22 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Hibiscus Buttercream Frosting
- Add the butter and shortening to a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. After 4 cups, add the vanilla, milk, hibiscus syrup.
- Fill a piping bag with frosting and put some onto each of the cooled cupcakes. After each cupcake has frosting on it, add a drief hibiscus flower if desierd. Enjoy!
Notes
- To easily fill a piping bag, place it in a tall, shallow glass and fold it over the edges. You can easily fill the bag without making a mess!
- There is no need to add food coloring to the frosting, the hibiscus syrup will create a pretty and natural pink color. The reason you add red food coloring to the cupcake batter is that the yellow butter mixed with the reddish hibiscus syrup creates a grey color that is not very appealing.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Kelsey says
I made 1.5 times the recipe and it barely made a dozen cupcakes.
Emily says
Hi Kelsey, this recipe is just for 12 cupcakes so if you are filling your cups over 2/3 full, the batter may not go as far. But, you can always doucle the recipe as you already did! Thanks for giving it a try 😁
Katie says
Not only are these hibiscus cupcakes beautiful, but they're incredibly delicious as well!
Emily says
Thanks, Katie!
tianna says
i love the idea of making your own hibiscus and adding it into buttercream sounds delicious.
Emily says
Thanks, Tianna!