Kale cupcakes! These vibrant cupcakes are packed with greens – but you can’t actually taste the kale. Instead they are orange-flavoured sponge topped with a zingy orange icing.
Kale Cupcakes
These kale cupcakes are like a cake version of a green smoothie. The lurid green kale and orange cake tastes of citrus and is topped with a sweet creamy orange icing. This is a decadent way to eat leafy greens, but a nutrient-packed way to eat cupcakes – in kale cupcakes!
Also, be sure to check out my Kale Cake recipe which is flavoured with apples.
Kale
Oh kale, you trendy little brassica, you. With the health benefits of kale suddenly being spouted from the rooftops and the word ‘superfood’ being hurled about with wild abandon, it really would be a shame to simply relegate those squeaky leaves to breakfast smoothies.
I’m lucky enough to have a local market with a lovely woman who cuts it herself each morning before dawn so that I can buy huge bunches a few hours later. I’m sure she’d be rather surprised if I told her that I was putting it into dessert.
Whether your kale is frozen, from a farmer’s market or a supermarket, it doesn’t matter – just get eating it. It’s GOOD FOR YOU! Even in cake 🙂
Do you want more vegetable cake recipes?
My cookbook, Veggie Desserts and Cakes, full of creative desserts with vegetables, is now available on Amazon (UK, Canada, USA, Australia and more) – affiliate link
Recipes include Beet Chocolate Bundt Cake, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pear and Parsnip Cake with Salted Honey Buttercream, Vegetable Dyed Rainbow Cake with Coconut Funfetti, Spinach and Strawberry Swiss Roll, Spiced Butternut Squash Muffins with Walnuts and Crystallized Ginger, Carrot Gingerbread, Squash Cinnamon Rolls with Almond Glaze, Corn and Coconut Ice Cream, Cucumber Granita and much more.
Get the recipe for Orange and Kale Cupcakes with Orange Icing
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how this kale cupcakes recipe turned out for you! Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #veggiedesserts.
Kale and Orange Cupcakes with Orange Icing
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 100 g raw kale leaves , woody stalks discarded
- 1 orange zest and juice
- 150 g unsalted butter softened
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 200 g plain flour (all purpose)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the icing:
- 75 g unsalted butter , softened
- 250 g icing sugar (confectioner's)
- 2-3 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170C/325F. Line or grease a muffin tray.
- Tear kale leaves into bite-sized pieces and boil or steam for a few minutes until tender. Refresh in cold water, drain well and puree it with the orange juice with a hand held stick blender. The orange juice should make it easier to puree, but it will still be a little bit stringy. The more pureed you get it the greener the cupcakes will be. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then beat in the kale, vanilla and orange zest.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and stir to gently combine.
- Fill the muffin cups ¾ full with the batter and bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Frost with the buttercream when cold.
For the icing:
- In a large bowl, cream the butter until fluffy. Sift in the icing sugar and beat until thick. Add enough orange juice to make it a frosting consistency. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
Nutrition Information
dina
I made these kale cupcakes for st. patty’s day! They were a hit!
Kate Veggie Desserts
They would, indeed, Dina! I’ll definitely be making them for St Patrick’s Day.
Emily
They are amazing! The green colour was just as vibrant (I used fresh kale from my farmer market)! I took them to work for our office bake sale and everyone loved them. I made them guess how I got them so green but nobody guessed it was kale.
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks Emily!
Milo S
I made these for my son’s 5th birthday and decorated them as dinosaur cupcakes. Everyone loved them. Thank you. I saw comments about them not rising that much, but mine rose fine. The kids didn’t know they were eating veggies!
Kate Hackworthy
I hope you like them. We all really like them – plus the amazing green colour!
Stephen
Hi Kate, thanks for this recipe. Until recently I had only used Kale in strifrys. Then last week a collegue mentioned she baked a Kale and Apple cake. After doing a search on Google I found your website. What intriging recipies you have. I’ve baked the Kale and Orange Cupcakes twice now. On both occasions they haven’t risen as much as I’d expected. Last night the mixture was wetter than it was the first time. And I felt the need to cook them for 25mins. What might I be doing wrong? Also, you dont give an exact measurement for orange juice. Any tips you can give will be most appreciated.
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Stephen, that’s a shame that they haven’t risen much. I’ve always found them to be quite cupcake-like. What method are you using to puree the kale? Also, have you drained it enough. It shouldn’t be completely squeezed dry, but not sopping wet either, before pureeing. A hand held stick blender works better than a mini food processor. I hope they work out.
Stephanie
Hi there, Wondering if there are pieces of the kale detectable in the finished cupcakes? Very picky grandson!
Kate Hackworthy
HI Stephanie
If you use a hand held stick blender, and give it a really good whiz-up then you won’t detect any pieces and it will be REALLY green. It will be slightly stringy when it’s pureed, but that will essentially melt away. A food processor won’t get the pieces small enough to be undetecable.
I hope you enjoy them!
Heather
Just made these today and wanted to leave a comment about how they turned out. I noticed that most of the comments here are about how great these cupcakes LOOK or what a great IDEA it is to add kale to cupcakes. I certainly agree with these comments, and want everyone to know that these cupcakes TASTE just as good as they look, if not better! Well done. My mom was skeptical of making kale cupcakes when I showed her the recipe, but I just gave her one and she agrees they are delicious 🙂
A couple notes: I followed the recipe exactly, filling the muffin cups 3/4 full, and my cupcakes didn’t rise above their papers. Not a big deal, but I’m wondering if I should add more baking powder next time. I’m also thinking about adding some chia seeds next time to see if that helps. I should add that I live below sea level and that this might have affected the baking. At any rate, I’m certainly not complaining – these cupcakes are utterly divine – I just wanted to share my experience.
Finally, I wanted to say that the butter creme icing is scrumptious and a nice compliment to the cupcakes, but if you want to leave it off, rest assured these are equally delicious all by themselves!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe 🙂
Kate Hackworthy
Wow, thanks for such an amazing comment. I’m so delighted that you enjoyed the cupcakes so much. You’ve made my day with such a thoughtful comment 😀
Scarlett Chanter
Thanks for your post Heather…I found this recipe in a comment on the Barefoot Contessa’s April Fool joke about Kale cupcakes! I was looking for someone who actually MADE these, lol! I’m going to try them today!!!
janelle
I had the best kale salad last year, and it turned me into a kale lover-so this I think I would love!
Kate Hackworthy
They’re great, I hope you can try them!
Stephanie Pass
I saw these listed in your recipes and had to take a peek. What a cool idea! I will have to attempt these. My husband enjoys kale, and I think the orange would make this taste wonderful.
Kate Hackworthy
I hope you get to try it, Stephanie. They just taste like orange cupcakes, only bright green!
Donna Castellano
I shared your recipe on my Facebook page! Great site and congrats on Blog of the Month!!
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks for sharing the recipe on your Facebook page! And thanks for the congrats! 🙂
Olivia
Can I substitute spinach in for the kale?
Kate Veggie Desserts
Hi Olivia, absolutely. Just substitute the same amounts and wilt the spinach first. Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Robyn @ simply fresh dinners
Hi Kate,
Loving your blog and your mission to include veggies with desserts! Brilliant idea and you’re recipes are so beautifully creative. I’ll be a regular visitor. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great Friday!
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks Robyn! 🙂 Have a lovely weekend.
Julie's Family Kitchen
These cupcakes look amazing, the colour of the sponge is fantastic and is beautifully complimented with the orange buttercream.
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks Julie. I didn’t expect the sponge to stay so green and I’m delighted that it did. I’ve made a few batches and they’re always so bright.
Aimee / WallflowerGirl.co.uk
Wow, Kale cupcakes!! That is the coolest thing ever! Very inventive and they look wonderful 🙂
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks Aimee! They’re so vibrant, aren’t they?!
Marie-Helene
Wow, great ideas! I just discovered your blog and I must say that I am already a fan. I live in Quebec and there is a business here called “Les Gumes” (a pun with “vegetables”) which is specialized in desserts with vegetables. They also published two cookbooks (in French). However, vegetables are more “hidden” than in your recipes.
I also have a blog, mainly about healthy eating, so it’s totally in my interests.
Keep up the good work! You’re so creative! I will definitely try these cupcakes, yum!
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks Marie-Helene! Les Gumes – love it, I’ll check them out. Thanks for your kind comments, let me know how you like the cupcakes. 🙂
Honest Mum
Truly beautiful, I adore these! Thanks so much for linking up to #tastytuesdays
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks, Vicki!
Louisa Foti
Pretty as a picture. Another amazing Kale bake for me to pin, building up quite a collection from you now! Such a fabulously inventive use of super kale.
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks, Louisa. I’m getting kale obsessed, aren’t I?! I’ve got so many more kale ideas, too. And as I type this I’m drinking a green kale smoothie. Yup, kale-obsessed!
Javelin Warrior
These look absolutely awesome! I love the pairing of kale with orange and these look so moist and tender. A perfect snack and yet so nutritious…
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks! They look so vibrant and there is a LOT of kale in them!
Choclette
Just love the colour of these. What a fantastic idea. All this superfood nonsense is so annoying – just a big marketing ploy. Not that I’m denying kale is good for you.
Kate Veggie Desserts
Who needs food colouring when you’ve got a bunch of kale! xx
Nayna Kanabar
Kale cupcakes very innovative thanks for sending them to lets cook with green veg event at simply.food.
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks for running the Let’s Cook With… linky Nayna!
Karen
SUCH an innovative idea for cakes, I love these! I have cooked with Kale for years, as well as growing it, so I was fascinated to heat that all of a sudden I am bang on trend! Thanks for adding these to cooking with herbs. Karen
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks Karen! Kale is pretty amazing, I wish I had the space and the talent to grow it myself. Thanks for running Cooking with Herbs. x
Fuss Free Helen
These are adorable, so so vibrantly green too.
Thank you so much for sending to Extra Veg!
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks Helen. Vibrant is certainly the word. As green as can be. 🙂
Jean
Do they look good or what !!
Kate Veggie Desserts
Thanks Jean. They are so vivid, aren’t they?!