• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Easy Dinner Recipes
    • Delicious Dessert Recipes
    • Sweet Baked Goods
    • Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
      • Instant Pot Recipes
      • Air Fryer Recipes
    • Homemade Syrups, Condiments, Sauces, etc.
  • Cocktails
    • Gin
    • Vodka
    • Tequila
    • Whiskey/Bourbon
    • Brandy/Pisco
  • Holiday Recipes
    • Christmas Recipes
    • Thanksgiving Recipes
    • Halloween Recipes
    • Patriotic Recipes
    • Valentine's Day Recipes
    • Easter Recipes
    • St. Patrick's Day Recipes
  • Easy recipes, cocktail inspiration, and a little bit of fun!
  • Subscribe
  • Recipe Index

EmilyFabulous

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes

    Hibiscus Cupcakes

    Published: Jan 29, 2023 · Modified: Feb 28, 2023 by Emily · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    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.

    hibiscus cupcake with a dried hibiscus flower on top of hibiscus buttercream
    Jump to Recipe

    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.

    While the flavor is subtle, I believe it's just enough to be unique and it's certainly delicious. These cupcakes are perfect for Valentine's Day, a shower, or just for fun.

    hibiscus cupcake with hibiscus frosting

    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!

    hibiscus cupcakes with dried hibiscus flowers

    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.

    hibiscus simple syrup
    hibiscus simple syrup

    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.

    Hibiscus Cupcakes Recipe

    What else you can 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.

    hibiscus cupcake with dried hibiscus flower

    Hibiscus Cupcakes

    Beautiful and delicious Hibiscus Cupcakes that will be perfect for any party, celebration, or shower.
    5 from 34 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 38 minutes
    Cook Time: 22 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 12 cupcakes
    Calories: 399kcal
    Author: EmilyFabulous

    Equipment

    • cupcake pan
    • cupcake liners
    • large mixing bowl
    • stand mixer or hand mixer
    • piping bag
    • piping tip (I used Wilton 2D)

    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

    Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 399kcal | Carbohydrates: 65.4g | Protein: 1.9g | Fat: 14.4g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 104mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 56.8g | Calcium: 28mg

    Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.

    Did you make these Hibiscus Cupcakes?

    If you make these Hibiscus Cupcakes, don't forget to leave a comment below! I'd also love to see your cupcakes so snap a pic and tag me on Instagram or Facebook.

    If you love fun and delicious recipes, sign up for my email list and follow me on Pinterest so you never miss a recipe!

    More Recipes

    • passion fruit margaritas
      Passionfruit Margarita
    • almond milk orgeat syrup
      Almond Milk Orgeat Syrup
    • air fryer bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers
      Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers
    • li hing sugared donut
      Li Hing Mui Air Fryer Donuts

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Katie says

      February 04, 2023 at 6:29 am

      5 stars
      Not only are these hibiscus cupcakes beautiful, but they're incredibly delicious as well!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        February 04, 2023 at 12:14 pm

        Thanks, Katie!

        Reply
    2. tianna says

      January 30, 2023 at 2:31 pm

      5 stars
      i love the idea of making your own hibiscus and adding it into buttercream sounds delicious.

      Reply
      • Emily says

        January 31, 2023 at 10:26 pm

        Thanks, Tianna!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Emily! I'm excited to share my passions, experiments, and fun with you. I love to cook, bake, create recipes, mix cocktails and try new things!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • poolish-pizza-dough-round
      Poolish Pizza Dough
    • apple-cider-martinis-ginger-liqueur-and-vodka
      Apple Cider Martini
    • stack of pink crumbl copycat cookies
      Crumbl Cookie Copycat Recipe
    • homemade vanilla vodka in a bottle
      Vanilla Vodka Recipe
    Caraway Home Copper Pot and Pan Set
    March Sale at Caraway Home - Get up to a $100 Gift Card with Your Purchase!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • About

    COPYRIGHT © 2023 EMILY FABULOUS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Do not sell my personal information.
    Cookie SettingsAccept
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
    viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT