Luscious Passion Fruit Cupcakes filled with passion fruit mousse and topped with pink vanilla buttercream frosting. The perfect dessert for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Baby Shower, and summertime.
How to Make Passion Fruit Cupcakes
- To make the passion fruit cupcake batter, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line a cupcake tin and reserve.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the liquid ingredients: coconut milk or whole milk, passion fruit juice, and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, beat softened butter for about 1 minute at medium speed. Then add the sugar, beating at low speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, to the sugar mixture, beating well on low speed after each addition. Alternately, add the dry ingredients or flour mixture and the reserved liquid ingredients or passion fruit mixture to the egg mixture, beating well after each addition.
- Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake liners ¾ full with the batter. Bake for 15 minutes or until cupcakes are puffy and bounce back when lightly touched. Let cool completely on a rack before filling with passion fruit mousse and frosting.
- To make the passion fruit mousse, whisk all the 3 ingredients together until obtaining a homogeneous mixture. Fill cupcakes with passion fruit mousse by first cutting out a small hole in the center of each cupcake using a paring knife.
- The hole should be to about one-half of the vertical depth of the cupcake. Reserve the removed piece of the cupcake. Pipe passion fruit mousse into each hole.
- Close the hole with the reserved piece of cake -- this will require trimming off most of the bottom part of the plug so that when replaced in the hole the plug will be level with the rest of the top of the cupcake, and will not squeeze out the mousse. Place filled cupcakes in the refrigerator.
- For the vanilla buttercream frosting: In a large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, combine softened unsalted butter, sugar, and salt, beating well until the mixture is homogeneous. Add the cream/milk and vanilla. Beat for an additional 3-5 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Beat in both gel food colorings.
- Using a Wilton 2D closed Star tip, pipe a rose on top of each cupcake, starting from the center and making 2 steady circles around the center (This video explains well how to do it). Serve and enjoy your passion fruit cupcakes!
Other Cupcake Recipes
- Valentine's Day Cupcakes
- Frozen cupcake recipe
- Lemon meringue cupcakes
- Brazilian carrot cupcake recipe
- Brigadeiro cupcake recipe
- Sweet potato cupcake recipe
Storage
Here is how to store your passion fruit mousse cupcakes in the fridge, or freezer, and how to thaw them:
- Store passion fruit cupcakes filled with mousse in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
- You may freeze the cupcakes without the passion fruit mousse filling or frosting for up to 2 months.
- Thaw them at room temperature, then fill them with the mousse, and top them with the frosting.
PIN AND ENJOY!
Passion Fruit Cupcakes
Luscious Passion Fruit Cupcakes filled with passion fruit mousse and topped with a pink vanilla buttercream frosting. The perfect dessert for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Baby Shower, and summertime.
Servings 19 cupcakes
Calories464.2 kcal
Cost $ 0.75 per cupcake
Equipment
- 1 mixer
- 1 Ice cream scoop
- 1 oven
- 1 standard-size muffin tin
Ingredients
For the Passion Fruit Cupcake Batter:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup coconut milk or whole milk
- 7 fl. oz concentrated passion fruit juice (If you are making with frozen passion fruit pulp -- which is available at local supermarkets, let thaw completely and then measure)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
For the Passion Fruit Mousse:
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup concentrated passion fruit juice (If you are making with frozen passion fruit pulp -- which is available at local supermarkets, let thaw completely and then measure)
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
For the Pink Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
- 2 cups unsalted butter softened, or 4 sticks
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons heavy whipping cream or whole milk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or seeds of 1 vanilla bean
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 6 drops red gel coloring
- 1 drop blue gel food coloring
Instructions
- To make the passion fruit cupcake batter, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line a cupcake tin and reserve.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir in together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the liquid ingredients: coconut milk or whole milk, passion fruit juice, and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, beat softened butter for about 1 minute on medium speed. Then add the sugar, beating at low speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, to the sugar mixture, beating well on low speed after each addition. Alternately, add the dry ingredients or flour mixture and the reserved liquid ingredients or passion fruit mixture to the egg mixture, beating well after each addition.
- Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake liners ¾ full with the batter. Bake for 15 minutes or until cupcakes are puffy and bounce back when lightly touched. Let cool completely on a rack before filling with passion fruit mousse and frosting.
- To make the passion fruit mousse, whisk all the 3 ingredients together until obtaining a homogeneous mixture. Fill cupcakes with passion fruit mousse by first cutting out a small hole in the center of each cupcake using a paring knife.
- The hole should be to about one half of the vertical depth of the cupcake. Reserve the removed piece of the cupcake. Pipe passion fruit mousse into each hole.
- Close the hole with the reserved piece of cake -- this will require trimming off most of the bottom part of the plug so that when replaced in the hole the plug will be level with the rest of the top of the cupcake, and will not squeeze out the mousse. Place filled cupcakes in the refrigerator.
- For the vanilla buttercream frosting: In a large mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, combine softened unsalted butter, sugar, and salt, beating well until the mixture is homogeneous. Add the cream/milk and vanilla. Beat for an additional 3-5 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Beat in both gel food colorings.
- Using a Wilton 2D closed Star tip, pipe a rose on top of each cupcake, starting from the center and making 2 steady circles around the center (This video explains well how to do it). I also used cupcake gems (white pearls) to decorate the cupcakes. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Storage
- Store passion fruit cupcakes filled with mousse in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
- You may freeze the cupcakes without the passion fruit mousse filling or frosting for up to 2 months.
- Thaw them at room temperature, then fill them with the mousse, and top them with the frosting.
Nutrition
Calories: 464.2kcal | Carbohydrates: 48.5g | Protein: 3.8g | Fat: 29.2g | Saturated Fat: 18.8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7.1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 103.8mg | Sodium: 323mg | Potassium: 143.8mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 37.4g | Vitamin A: 950.3IU | Vitamin C: 4.6mg | Calcium: 46.3mg | Iron: 1.3mg
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Comment and rate the recipe. Also follow us on Pinterest at @easyanddelish for more delish recipes.
This post was first published on February 5, 2014.
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
These beautiful cupcakes are definitely deserving of a special event. I'm sure they have been a real hit over the years.
Valentina Dimitrova says
Thank you! They were quite delicious.
Kem says
I tried these today with 7-minute frosting rather than the buttercream but used the cupcake & passion fruit mousse recipes here. My cupcake turned out very "wet" and not like a fluffy cake. And not a lot of rise, either... actually still had a slight indent in the center.I Wasn't expecting this and didn't love it. The passion fruit flavor was great though! I would've preferred for the mousse to be a bit thicker/more set, too. Even after refrigerating it was still looser than I would've preferred. I've experienced this when making regular passion fruit mousse, too, though, so maybe that's just the way it is - haven't figured out how to make it thick like I've had it at some Brazilian places. (I blend concentrate, creme de leche & condensed milk per other family (in-law) suggestions.)
Does your cake turn out fluffy? If so - any tips on what I could've done wrong? I'm a pretty experienced baker but obviously I could've screwed up something! 🙂
Valentina Dimitrova says
Hi, Kem!
I am so sorry you did not have a good experience with this recipe.
Mine turned out slightly fluffy (not puffy). In addition, I had no problem at all with the consistency of the passion fruit mousse. I don't like to use creme de leche at all. It is not the same as Brazilian creme de leite. And even if I had to use Brazilian creme de leite, I would use the one that comes in a box rather than in a can (it contains whey). I used heavy whipping cream in mine, a good quality of sweetened condensed milk (some are thinner than others), and a good passion fruit concentrate. I blended them very, very well in the blender -- until thick and creamy, and then refrigerated.
When did you prepare the cupacake batter, did you use room temp eggs or cold ones? This can certainly make a difference. This is just me trying to figure what went wrong with your cupcakes.
I hope this helps. Wishing you a delicious week! Take care.
Madisen says
I’m also a very experienced baker & had the exact same problem with the batter. They all deflated & are undercooked & dense in the center. I’m just going to have to deliver them to the party & hope the coconut buttercream frosting I’m making distracts!
Valentina Dimitrova says
Hi again, Madisen! In the post article I stated these cupcakes are dense so they're not supposed to be light/too puffy like average cupcakes. Part of the center will need to be removed to be filled with the passion fruit mousse and then topped with buttercream.
Diane says
Could I substitute the passion fruit with another juice??? I'm thinking strawberry . . . would I need to change the recipe in anyway?
Valentina Dimitrova says
Hi, Diane!
Absolutely! For the cupcake batter, you can certainly use concentrated strawberry juice instead of the passion fruit juice. But for the mousse filling, you better blend about 1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries with sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream until obtaining a thick, creamy mixture. The reason why you should avoid to use strawberry juice for the mousse filling is because strawberry juice is not as acidic as passion fruit juice, resulting in a thin mixture. Have a great Sunday and thanks for stopping by.
Aurica says
mmmm, lovely pink delicious and excellent cupcakes 😀
Valentina Dimitrova says
Thank you! Those are super delish indeed.