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
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
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!