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Tropical Pineapple Lemon Hibiscus Cupcakes

Fluffy coconut-vanilla cupcakes topped with a glossy, tangy pineapple-lemon curd and beautifully piped buttercream hibiscus flowers.
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American, Hawaiian
Calories: 485

Ingredients
  

Coconut Vanilla Sponge
  • 1.5 cups cake flour sifted
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.25 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp coconut extract
  • 0.5 cup buttermilk room temperature
Pineapple Lemon Curd
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.25 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 0.25 cup pureed pineapple strained
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 0.25 cup unsalted butter cold and cubed
Hibiscus Buttercream
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar sifted
  • 0.25 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 set gel food coloring pink, yellow, green

Equipment

  • 12-cup Muffin Tin
  • Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
  • Piping bags and tips (Petal tip 104, small round tips)
  • Flower nail and parchment squares
  • Double boiler setup

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
  3. In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes).
  4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well. Mix in vanilla and coconut extracts.
  5. Alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk in three batches, mixing on low speed until just combined.
  6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely.
  7. For the curd: Whisk sugar, lemon juice, pineapple puree, zest, and egg yolks in a heatproof bowl. Place over simmering water.
  8. Whisk constantly for 8-10 minutes until thickened. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, then whisk in cold butter until glossy. Chill for 2 hours.
  9. For the buttercream: Beat butter until creamy, add powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla. Beat until stiff.
  10. Color small amounts of frosting yellow and green. Tint half the remaining frosting pink, leave the rest white.
  11. Using a piping bag striped with pink color and fitted with a petal tip, pipe 5-petal hibiscus flowers on parchment squares. Add yellow stamens and green tips. Freeze until solid.
  12. To assemble: Spoon a pool of chilled curd onto each cupcake. Peel frozen flowers off parchment and place on top of the curd. Serve once flowers come to room temperature.

Notes

Piping the flowers in advance and freezing them makes assembly incredibly easy and prevents you from ruining the wet curd underneath.