Kiwi Lychee Cupcakes

Posted by chockylit in General (Thursday November 24, 2011 at 11:10 am)

First off, I have to thank my friend Margie for the combination. I had been thinking, “lychees and ???” for some time. I asked her for a suggestion to which she replied, “kiwi.” And I was like, “I have some of those at home!” Soon followed by, “hmmm, kiwi frosting, I wonder how that will turn out.”
Well, I have never been so pleasantly surprised as I was with the kiwi frosting! It’s sometimes a challenge to get a good flavor from a fruit frosting without it being too running. In this case, the kiwi flavor was very prominent without having to sacrifice texture. Joy!
And the combination? Awesome. Both the kiwi and lychee flavors were distinct, but they also tasted so nice together. The cupcakes were a definite hit.
Vanilla Cupcakes
12 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
5. Measure out milk and vanilla together.
6. Add about a third of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine. Scrape the bowl.
7. Add about one half the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined. Scrape the bowl.
8. Repeat above ending with the flour mixture.
9. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full.
10. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.
Lychee Filling

1/2 cup lychee syrup
6 lychees
Pomona’s Universal Pectin

1. Mix calcium water per the instructions in the pectin box.
2. Drain syrup from lychees. Measure out 1/2 cup of syrup and heat with 2 teaspoons calcium water to boiling.
3. Mix 2 teaspoons of pectin in 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar. Add to the boiling syrup and mix until dissolved.
4. Chop the 6 lychees into small chunks. Add to boiling liquid. Bring to boil. Take of heat and let cool.
Note: This recipe is for canned lychees as it is not lychee season!
Kiwi Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
4 ounces or 1/2 package of Philly cream cheese
4-6 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup pureed fresh kiwi

1. Bring cheese and butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours
2. Beat butter until soft and creamy. Scrape the bowl.
3. Add cream cheese and beat until combined. Scrape the bowl.
4. Sift half of the sugar into the bowl. Add the kiwi. Beat until creamy. Scrape the bowl.
5. Gradually sift remaining remaining sugar one cup at a time, beating after each, until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.
Note: The texture of the frosting is a bit runny looking and soft because of the puree. Don’t let that deter you. This is some freaking yummy frosting! Also, you want to use a nice ripe, sweet kiwi for the best results.
Assemble
1. Fill the cupcakes with the lychee filling using the cone method. This post has step by step photos of the method.
2. Frost.
3. Top with a chunk of kiwi just before serving.