Only a couple more days left until St. Patrick's Day! Have you figured out what you're making to celebrate? Although I'm currently down with the stomach flu, I made something green and delicious this past weekend... Spinach cupcakes with orange whipped cream cheese frosting
To prepare the spinach, put the chopped spinach in the food processor along with the oil and process until it forms a purée.
Add the spinach mixture into the cupcake batter and voilà! Beautiful naturally green batter. Portion the batter into 16 cupcake liners and bake them for 14 to 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Take the cupcakes out of the pan right after they come out of the oven, and let them cool completely on a wire rack. Meanwhile, prepare the orange whipped cream cheese frosting.
Put the frosting into a piping bag and pipe away! I used a large star nozzle (Ateco 825). The recipe makes enough frosting to frost 16 cupcakes when piped into a rosette. If you want to pipe the frosting in a classic swirl, you'll most likely need more frosting.
If you look closely, you'll see that these spinach cupcakes match the colors of the Irish flag! Green from the cupcakes, white from the frosting, and orange from the zest.
Although these cupcakes have spinach in them, the flavor is very subtle. They have a slightly earthy, leafy, green flavor, but subtle enough to fool any spinach hater
Looking for other green desserts to make on St. Patrick's Day? Try my matcha cupcakes, matcha oreo blondies, or matcha financiers!
Spinach Cupcakes with Orange Frosting
Ingredients
Spinach cupcakes
- 1 cup sugar
- 1¾ cups cake flour
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup light olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup finely chopped spinach
Orange Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 340°F (170°C) and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
- In a food processor, combine the spinach and canola oil. Process until it forms a purée and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream, and the spinach mixture.
- Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
- Fill the cupcake liners evenly and bake for 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer them onto a wire rack immediately and let them cool completely.
Frosting
- In a bowl, whip the heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks.
- In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and orange zest and continue to beat.
- Fold in the heavy cream until combined.
- Fill a piping bag with the frosting and pipe onto each cupcake.
Jhuls | The Not So Creative Cook says
Now, I am interested about these cupcakes. I haven't encountered cupcakes with spinach before and you got my attention. ? These sounds delicious! I love the cream cheese frosting and the addition of orange zest! Yum!?
frugal hausfrau says
Oh my gosh, what a fun idea! I'm glad you gave a description of the spinach being subtle, though - helped me wrap my mind around it! I hate dyed green things for St. Paddy's, too.
Mollie
kunstkitchen says
This would be a good alternative to pure sugar cupcakes.
Antonia (Zoale) says
I love this, what a great idea! I have to try these!