Hibiscus Cupcakes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 38

Cook Time: 22

Total Time: 1

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 399kcal

Author: Emily

Beautiful and delicious Hibiscus Cupcakes that will be perfect for any party, celebration, or shower.

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.

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!

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.