The humble rose lychee cupcake with raspberry whipped cream involves the perfect, delicate fusion of lychee, rosewater, and raspberry. The sweet, yet slightly citrus flavor of lychees combined with rosewater, raspberries, and cream make a dessert that tastes as irresistible as it looks!
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What is Lychee?
Lychee is a tropical fruit, native to Southeast Asia, that offers a unique taste capturing the essence of both sweet and tart flavors. In Asian cuisine, it is often used in desserts, sorbets, and cocktails to add a touch of tropical complexity. With its translucent, juicy flesh and subtly textured exterior, the first bite reveals a burst of refreshing sweetness, reminiscent of floral and fruity notes. Its delicate, almost perfumed taste is often likened to a blend of strawberries, raspberries, grapes, and rosewater. These floral undertones lend an enchanting character to lychee and pair perfectly with rosewater!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- These rose lychee raspberry cupcakes have delicate floral and fruity notes.
- Lychee adds a natural sweetness to the cupcakes without being overly sugary.
- Lychee's juicy texture results in a moist and tender crumb.
- There is a burst of lychee pieces in every bite.
- The light and refreshing qualities of lychee make these cupcakes ideal for warm summer days. Great dessert option for picnics, barbecues, or any outdoor gathering!
Tools
- Stand mixer or hand mixer - Useful for thoroughly mixing the cupcake batter and whipping up the whipped cream.
- Sifter - So important for cupcakes made with cake flour as it helps aerate and evenly distribute the flour, resulting in a lighter and more delicate texture.
- Kitchen scale - Used to accurately weigh all ingredients as my recipe is mainly in grams.
- Cupcake tin - A standard cupcake tin with 6 or 12 cups is important for baking these cupcakes.
- Pastry bags (optional) - Used to pipe the whipped cream on top of the cupcakes. If you don't have any, you can use the corner of a ziplock bag.
Ingredients
- Lychee syrup - A sweet liquid extracted from lychee fruits in the can. By incorporating lychee syrup into the cupcake recipe, you infuse the cupcakes with a touch of sweetness and moistness, enhancing the overall texture and flavor of the cupcakes. You can find this in most Asian grocery stores in the canned fruit section.
- Rosewater - Made by steeping rose petals in water, extracting their essence. When added to the cupcake batter, rosewater imparts a delicate and floral taste, elevating the overall flavor profile of the cupcakes.
- Cake flour - Has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour and contributes to a tender and airy cake
- Freeze dried raspberries - When freshly ground, this flavor in the whipped cream creates the perfect complement to the lychee cupcakes.
Tips and Tricks
- All ingredients should be at room temperature. That includes the butter, milk and eggs! This will help the ingredients to emulsify well, creating a rich texture in your cupcakes. Some quick tips if you forget to pull out the ingredients out of the refrigerator before baking!
- Eggs - Place the cold eggs in a bowl of warm water and let it sit for at least 10-15 minutes.
- Milk - Microwave your measured milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Continue to microwave in 10 second intervals until room temperature.
- Butter - Heat your butter in the microwave for 10 seconds at 50% power. Continue to microwave in 5 second intervals until slightly softened.
- Balance the sweetness to your liking. Lychees are naturally sweet, so it's important to balance the sweetness in your cupcake recipe. You want the cupcakes to be sweet but not overly so, allowing the lychee flavor to shine.
- Don't overmix the batter. When mixing the flour into the cupcake batter, be gentle and avoid overmixing. Overmixing can lead to a denser texture in the final product. Mix just until the ingredients are combined to maintain a light and fluffy texture.
- Place your batter into a gallon size ziplock bag and "pipe" into each cupcake liner. I found that this tip is better than scooping your batter with a cookie scoop. This allows for me to control how much batter goes into each liner, which results in even, uniform cupcakes and a perfect finished product. This also prevents the crazy mess that happens with scooping batter!
- Allow proper cooling time. After baking, allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting or decorating them. This ensures that the cupcakes set properly and helps the flavors develop.
Storage Instructions
- Storing - Store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container to protect the cupcakes from drying out and keeping them fresh. Leave at room temperature for up to 3 days or place in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Be sure to take the cupcakes out of the fridge for at least 30-60 minutes so that they come to room temperature before serving.
- Freezing unfrosted cupcakes - Allow them to cool completely and place in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2-3 months.
- Freezing frosted cupcakes (without garnishes) - Place the cupcakes on a baking sheet in the freezer until the frosting becomes firm. Once firm, individually wrap each cupcake with plastic wrap, or place them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw the frozen cupcakes in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature, and if needed, add fresh garnishes. Properly stored and thawed, these frozen treats will still retain their deliciousness!
Frequently Asked Questions
WHERE CAN I FIND ROSEWATER AND CANNED LYCHEE?
Rosewater can be found in your local health stores (as it is used for skincare) or the international aisle in your local grocery stores.
Fresh lychee may be harder to find, you can absolutely find canned lychee in your local Asian grocery stores. They should be in the aisle where all the other canned fruits are located.
CAN I OMIT ROSEWATER IF I'M NOT A FAN?
Yes, of course! Instead, you can replace it with vanilla or almond extract if desired.
WHY ARE MY CUPCAKES SO DENSE?
There are many variables that can cause dense cupcakes. Some potential areas where things could have gone wrong include:
- You did not cream the butter long enough with the sugar. Enough air must be introduced at this phase to create airy cupcakes.
- You used expired baking powder or baking soda. When the leavening agent is old or not stored properly, this can prevent the beautiful rise of the cupcakes, which results in a denser texture. Make sure to always check the expiration date before using one of these agents!
- You added ingredients that were NOT at room temperature. Adding cold eggs, butter or milk can cause the mixture to curdle, which would require more mixing, which in turn creates more gluten development (not good if you want fluffy cupcakes!).
- You overmixed the batter. When the batter is overmixed, it can result in a denser texture and more compact crumb.
CAN I BAKE THE CUPCAKES AHEAD OF TIME?
Yes, you can bake the cupcakes up to two days ahead. How you can plan:
- Day 1 - Bake the cupcakes, cool, and store unfrosted in an airtight container in room temperature.
- Day 2 - Make the whipped cream and place in the refrigerator.
- Day of event/party - Pull whipped cream out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for about 1-2 hours. Re-whip for a few seconds to bring it back to a creamy whipped consistency. Frost cupcakes and assemble!
Rose Lychee Raspberry Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
Description
The sweet, slightly citrus flavor of lychees combined with rosewater, raspberries, and cream make a dessert that tastes as irresistible as it looks!
Ingredients
ROSE LYCHEE CUPCAKES
- 75 g lychee syrup, from the can
- 40 g whole milk
- 1 ½ tsp rosewater
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 155 g cake flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 113 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 12 lychees, from the can
RASPBERRY WHIPPED CREAM
- 475 g heavy whipping cream
- 20 g freeze dried raspberries
- 150 g granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp rosewater
- 50 g white chocolate
- dried edible rose petals for decoration
Instructions
ROSE LYCHEE CUPCAKES
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a cupcake tin with 12 liners.
- Measure out the lychee syrup from the can and mix in the whole milk, rosewater, and white vinegar.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and white sugar until light and fluffy (medium speed for 3-4 minutes).
- Mix in the eggs just until combined. Do not overmix!
- Fold in the flour mixture to the butter-egg mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the lychee mixture.
- Spoon or pipe the cupcake batter into each liner and add one lychee to each cupcake.
- Bake the cupcakes for 17-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool on a wire cooling rack.
RASPBERRY WHIPPED CREAM
- Whip the heavy whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer until soft peaks form. Add the freshly ground, freeze dried raspberries to incorporate, then keep whipping on medium speed while adding in the sugar slowly until stiff peaks form.
- When time to assemble, decorate the cupcakes with the whipped cream with a tip of choice (I used Ateco #809).
- Melt the white chocolate and drizzle the cupcakes as desired and top with edible rose petals.
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