Kumquat Cupcakes
These Kumquat Cupcakes have such a bright and fruity, burst-in-your-mouth flavor that hits you on the first bite! They are a little sweet and a little tart, and so very tasty. For the perfect complement, they are topped with a delectable cardamom cream cheese frosting that is seriously addicting.
These yummy cupcakes have a unique citrusy flavor that tastes like spring! So if you want a change from the same old cupcake flavors, you must try this recipe. And, if you are lucky enough to have a kumquat tree, it’s really a great way to use up those kumquats. Read more about this recipe in our Blog Comments & Tips.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
KUMQUAT CUPCAKES
Ingredients
Instructions
- Rinse and dry kumquats, setting aside 4 whole kumquats for garnish. Using a sharp knife, halve remaining kumquats crosswise, and remove and discard all the seeds. Transfer the halved kumquats (and any juice left on the cutting board) to a food processor, and add 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Pulse until kumquats are almost puréed (make sure there are small bits of the peel visible), and set aside.
- Place oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350°F. Add cupcake liners to a muffin tin (see Note #2 for an easy tip), and set aside.
- Place a large fine mesh strainer over a medium mixing bowl. Add aerated flour, baking powder, remaining 1 cup sugar, salt, ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon. Sift dry ingredients through the strainer, then whisk the ingredients in the bowl to combine, and set aside.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer (or hand held mixer), add eggs, and beat on medium-low speed until frothy (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add oil, yogurt, and vanilla, and mix ingredients for about 15 seconds starting on low speed. Then slowly increase speed to medium until combined and smooth (about 1 ½ to 2 minutes). Add puréed kumquats, and mix on low speed until just combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix on low speed until just combined (dry flour just barely disappears - do not overmix).
- Pour batter into prepared muffin tin, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until tops of cupcakes are very light golden brown (and when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out fairly clean with only a few light crumbs). Remove tin from oven, and place muffin tin on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes. Then gently remove the cupcakes from the tin, and place on a cooling rack until completely cool.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, make our recipe for Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting. Then frost completely cooled cupcakes, and garnish each cupcake with a thick slice of fresh kumquat.
Notes
- To aerate flour, simply stir the flour, spoon it into your dry measuring cup, and level. Check out our quick video for Tip #1 on our Tips and Tricks page for details on how to aerate flour.
- For an easy trick to prevent the bottom of your cupcake liners from getting oily, check out the quick video for Tip #18 on our Tips and Tricks page for details.
- It may take a few hours to bring refrigerated butter to room temperature. If you are in a hurry, remove the butter from the fridge at least one hour or more before you start making the cupcakes. A block of cream cheese will take less time to soften to room temperature, so place the block of cream cheese on the counter before you begin making the cupcakes.
- For details on how to customize this recipe to your specific tastes, visit the Pimp Our Recipe section of our Blog Comments & Tips below.
- Makes 12 servings (1 cupcake per serving).
Nutrition Facts
Calories
228.26Fat (grams)
7.67Sat. Fat (grams)
1.37Carbs (grams)
36.18Fiber (grams)
1.77Net carbs
34.4Sugar (grams)
20.71Protein (grams)
4.37Sodium (milligrams)
207.47Cholesterol (grams)
46.78Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods. Nutritional calculations do not include Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting. See our Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting recipe for nutritional values.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
Frosting Note: We used our Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting for this recipe. To frost the cupcakes as soon as they are cool, start softening the butter and cream cheese for the frosting before you start this recipe. Butter may take a few hours to bring to room temperature, and cream cheese will take at least 30-40 minutes.
STEP 1
Rinse and dry 2 cups of whole fresh kumquats (weight: 300 grams or 10 ½ ounces), setting aside 4 whole kumquats for garnish. Using a sharp knife, halve remaining kumquats crosswise, and remove and discard all the seeds. Transfer the halved kumquats (and any juice left on the cutting board) to a food processor, and add 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Pulse until kumquats almost puréed (make sure there are small bits of the peel visible), and set aside.
STEP 2
Place oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350°F. Add cupcake liners to a muffin tin (see Note below), and set aside.
Note: For an easy tip to keep your cupcake liners from getting greasy at the bottom, watch the quick how to video on our Tips & Tricks page for Tip #18 - Easy Hack for Grease-Free Cupcake Liners & Perfect Cupcakes!
STEP 3
Place a large fine mesh strainer over a medium mixing bowl. Add 1 ¾ cups of aerated all purpose flour (see Note below), 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, remaining 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon fine salt, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Sift dry ingredients through the strainer, then whisk the ingredients in the bowl to combine, and set aside.
Note: To aerate flour, simply stir the flour, spoon it into your dry measuring cup, and level. Check out our quick video for Tip #1 on our Tips and Tricks page for details on how to aerate flour.
STEP 4a
To the bowl of a stand mixer (or hand held mixer), add 3 large eggs, and beat on medium-low speed until frothy (about 2 to 3minutes). Add ⅓ cup vegetable oil, ⅓ cup 2% Greek yogurt, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and mix ingredients for about 15 seconds starting on low speed. Then slowly increase speed to medium until combined and smooth (about 1 ½ to 2 minutes), stopping and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, as needed. Add puréed kumquats, and mix on low speed until just combined. Scrape the bowl again.
STEP 4b
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix on low speed until just combined (bits of dry flour will still be visible, do not overmix - see Note below). With the silicone spatula, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl again, and very gently fold the mixture to incorporate any visible flour into the batter (again, don’t overmix).
Note: It’s better to under mix this batter rather than overmix. The top layer of your batter will look thick and dry, but there will likely be liquidy batter at the bottom of your stand mixer bowl. The manual scraping and folding process at the end will help incorporate the liquidy part and the visible flour into the batter. Remember the more you work your batter, the tougher the cupcakes will be!
STEP 5a
Scoop batter (see Note below) into prepared muffin tins with liners, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tops of cupcakes are very light golden brown (and when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out fairly clean with only a few light crumbs).
Note: We used a medium scoop to pour the batter evenly into the muffin tins.
STEP 5b
Remove from oven, and place muffin tin on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes. Then gently remove the cupcakes from the tin, and place on wire cooling rack until completely cool.
STEP 6
While the cupcakes are cooling, make our recipe for Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting. Then frost completely cooled cupcakes in spiral motion using a piping bag fitted with an extra large round decorating tip.
SERVING
Cut the reserved 4 whole kumquats crosswise into thirds (three thick slices). Garnish each cupcake with a thick slice of fresh kumquat. Store refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Note: Instead of using plastic wrap to cover your cupcakes, it’s worth investing in a cupcake storage container. That way your cupcake frosting will stay beautiful.
Notes:
For the Frosting: Make sure you start softening your butter before you start this recipe. See the Preparation Note above for more details.
Recipe can be made ahead!
Makes 12 servings (1 cupcake per serving).
VIDEO
How to Make these Sweet & Fruity Cupcakes!
Blog Comments & Tips
Sweet, Tart & Fruity Cupcakes!
Our Kumquat Cupcakes are a must try recipe when kumquats are in season. We combined a yummy kumquat cupcake that bursts in your mouth with flavor, with a rich and creamy Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting that is seriously addicting. These complementary flavors and textures make our Kumquat Cupcakes a unique dessert that will please all ages.
If you are lucky enough to have a kumquat tree, or have a kind neighbor (like I do), then you know how hard it is to find a variety of recipes to use up those sweet and sour little fruits.
It’s not uncommon for us to hear that it’s a struggle to figure out different ways to use kumquats when you own one of these trees. And, no one likes to see beautiful produce ripen and fall to the ground without being used. Unfortunately, kumquats are typically too tart for some people to just eat them right from the tree (although I love them that way). And, one can only make jam so many times.
My lovely neighbor will occasionally drop off a large grocery bag filled with these bright orange gems. I love sweets, but I’m also into sour flavors (like anything lemony). We are always trying to develop new and unique kumquat recipes (like this one) in the PMR Test Kitchens whenever kumquats come into season.
If you have a tree with an abundance of kumquats or you are just a kumquat fan, we have a few more recipes aside that you might like (check back for others in the future). Try our recipes for Kumquat Marmalade (with no refined sugar), Ricotta Toast with Kumquat Marmalade (a sweet and savory breakfast or snack), and our Kumquat Martini (for a sweet & sour cocktail).
How do you ensure the best results from our recipe?
Our 5 tips to making these yummy Kumquat Cupcakes:
Use fresh, ripe kumquats. It’s best when they are in season.
To end up with the perfect cupcakes (with even bakes), watch the quick video on our Tips & Tricks page for Tip #18 - Easy Hack for Grease-Free Cupcake Liners & Perfect Cupcakes.
Don’t overmix this batter. These cupcakes are a bit lighter in texture than carrot cake, but more dense than a typical cupcake. Overmixing will just make the cupcakes more tough and dense.
Don’t overbake these cupcakes. Every oven varies and you know your oven best, so use the toothpick test when you think they are just done. It’s okay to have a few crumbs on the toothpick.
You can frost them with any frosting you like, but they are truly outstanding with our Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting recipe. See the Pimp Our Recipe section below for more frosting options.
Have any dietary preferences that won’t quite work with our recipe? It’s time to customize and Pimp Our Recipe.
Pimp Our Recipe:
Make it with Different Frosting: These cupcakes are best with our Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting, but if you like a plain cream cheese frosting, just omit the cardamom in the recipe. A lovely vanilla buttercream frosting would be nice, as well.
Make it More Exotic: The flavors of ginger and kumquats together are a match made in heaven! Add a few bits of chopped candied ginger to the batter at the end of the folding process in Step 4b. Then sprinkle on a few pieces of candied ginger on top of the frosting for an exotically spicy cupcake! See Step 3 of our Ginger Simple Syrup recipe to make fresh candied ginger (which is a by product of the recipe).
Enjoy and let us know what you think by commenting below, rating our recipes, subscribing, following, and liking us on Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Happy Cooking!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to not overmix the batter or it will result in a tough cupcake.
Adapted from the Kumquat Cupcakes with Orange Glaze or Icing recipe by Christina’s Cucina, we’ve taken the base recipe, changed up the technique a bit, and added a variety of fragrant spices to pimp up the flavor. We then added our own Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting to crown our kumquat cupcakes for a purely decadent dessert!
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