If you are bored with traditional mithai and looking to make something different during festivities then consider making these cupcakes filled with desi flavors. These are egg-free, fluffy and so easy to make.
Badam Katli, Gajar Halva, Kheer, yes yes these traditional sweets are all-time favorites but fusion desserts are really trending nowadays. Kids especially are more excited and inclined towards not-so-conventional desserts. Cupcakes are loved by kids and adults alike so they stand a better chance of being a hit at any party.
Fusion cupcakes for every occasion
These Indian-style cupcakes will bring plenty of flavor, freshness, and style to your dinner table for sure. These are not just classic vanilla cupcakes. I have upgraded them with some more deliciousness. As Diwali is around the corner, I decided to make cupcakes infused with Indian flavors.
Think saffron, cardamom, nuts, and rose!!!! These ingredients play an important role in most Indian desserts. Whenever I make them, it reminds me of home! It brings back all the memories about the pedas, burfi, and assorted mithai that my dad used to get it from the sweet shop back in India.
Through this recipe, I just tried to give those sweets a makeover.
A great beginner recipe
The photos might look intimidating but I promise you that this cupcake recipe is super easy for anyone who hasn’t baked before or is just a beginner. You do not need any professional skills to put up these beauties. Just the ingredients, cupcake pan, liners, and a piping bag.
You will love these Indian Flavor Cupcakes because –
Uses easy to find ingredients
The cupcake batter is made with easy-to-find ingredients like flour, milk, baking powder, soda. You will surely have everything needed to make these eggless cupcakes at home.
Variety of flavor with just one recipe!
I have used just one flavor batter for this recipe. You can add variations like rose, thandai, badam, or pistachio flavor by playing around with the toppings.
Forgiving frosting
For last-minute frosting, I trust cool whip. It is whipped cream found in the freezer section. Just use as suggested on the package, no need to add sugar or whip it. It is my go-to ready to use frosting.
Glam it up with easy decoration
I have decorated these cupcakes with a quick swirl with some nuts and rose petals on the top. For making it extra special I have filled the pipettes with rose milk and thandai milk for an extra kick of Indian flavors.
For specialty cupcakes – Using pipettes is fun!!!
I love filling pipettes with different flavored syrups or drinks and sticking them in the cupcakes. These are mostly used to infuse boozy shots of alcohol in a cupcake. Here, I have filled them with non-alcoholic flavored milk so that everyone including the kids can enjoy them. This just adds so much more taste to them. Pipettes will really upgrade your basic cupcakes to special ones.
Special cupcake liners used!
If you have noticed, I have used thick paper cups that stand on their own. You do not require a special cupcake pan for these. I got them from T.J Maxx. You can find them at party city, Michaels, or online on Wilton, Amazon, or any website that specializes in selling cake supplies.
Note that these cups are bigger than the standard cupcake liners, which means you need more batter to fill them.
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Some Indian Fusion desserts to try!
Mango Panna Cotta Seviyaan Kheer
Indian Flavor Cupcakes – Fusion Recipe
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup blanched almond flour
- ¾ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
To mix in another bowl
- 1.5 cup sugar
- ¾ cup oil
- 2 cups warm milk
- 1 tablespoon rose water optional
- Generous pinch of saffron 12-15 strands
- 1.5 tablespoon vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
For frosting
- 16 oz original cool whip frozen tub (not lite)
For rose flavor cupcakes
- 3 teaspoon Gulkand optional
- 1 tablesppon Dried rose petals
For thandai flavor cupcakes
- 3 tablespoon Slivered or crushed nuts.
For filling pipettes
Rose flavor drink
- 1 teaspoon rose syrup Rooh Afza
- ⅓ rd cup cold milk
Thandai drink
- 1 teaspoon thandai powder
- ⅓ rd cup cold milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 deg F / 180 deg C.
- Line two cupcake pans with good quality cups.
- Warm up the milk for 1 minute in a microwave.
- Crush the saffron between your fingers and add it to the milk. Add cardamom too.
- Let it sit and infuse for 2-3 minutes.
- Once the milk becomes lukewarm or cools down, add in the vinegar and let it sit for a minute.
- In the meantime, to a bowl add in all the dry ingredients except sugar.
- Add in the almond flour, sift in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, soda, and salt.
- In another bowl, cream the sugar with milk. Once the sugar has melted and mixed well add in the oil, vanilla, rose water, and whisk until smooth and the oil is fully emulsified.
- Now slowly add the dry ingredients to the liquid bowl in batches and whisk until it turns into a smooth and lump-free batter.
- The batter should be flowy ribbon-like consistency. If the batter is too thick add 1-2 tablespoons of water at a time to adjust the consistency.
- Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners about ¾ cup full and bake in a preheated oven.
- If you have a big oven, bake them altogether by placing the pans on the middle and the bottom rack.
- Or wait for one batch to bake, meanwhile stick the other pan in the fridge until baking.
- The time taken for standard cupcakes is 14-16 minutes and a fancy big cupcake liner like I have used is 19-21 minutes.
- Check if they are done with a toothpick. Insert it in the center most cupcake and it should come out clean without any sticky batter.
- Take them out and let them cool completely before frosting.
Frosting the cupcakes
- I have used 1.5 tubs of cool whip.
- You will need an icing bag and an open flower nozzle. I have used Wilton 1M. You can use any.
Create variation
- Smear a thin layer of gulkand on rose flavor cupcake, ¼th teaspoon each cupcake.
- Now make frosting swirls on each cupcake.
- Add in rose petals for rose flavor cupcakes and crushed nuts on the thandai milk one.
Fill pipettes with flavored milk.
- Squeeze the air out of the pipettes by pressing them. Now while keeping it pressed put the open end of the pipette pipe in the milk and allow them to fill while slowly releasing the pressure.
- Gently insert a pipette into the frosting on each cupcake. Do not squeeze the pipettes, just put it in until it reaches the cupcake sponge and secure by piercing it just a little bit.
- Rose milk goes on rose cupcakes and the thandai milk on the nut top one.
- Refrigerate the cupcakes covered until served.
- You can keep the pipettes filled with milk in a separate container and add it to the cupcakes just before serving.
Step by Step video of the recipe –
Notes
- Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.
- Use chilled drinks in the pipettes. Or chill in the refrigerator after filling.
- Always refrigerate cupcakes until served.
- Swap the saffron with ½ teaspoon saffron extract.
- Skip rose water if unavailable.
- Substitute cool whip with this whipped cream frosting recipe.
- Swap thandai or rose flavor with badam or Pista milk-filled pipettes.
- You will find food-grade dessert pipettes in-store at party city, Michaels, Target, and Walmart. You can buy it online on amazon.
- Store unfrosted cupcakes covered up to 4 days in the fridge.
- After frosting, store it in the refrigerator and consume them within 3 days.
This is one of the best fusion desserts I’ve had, and I am not a fusion dessert girl at all! The cupcakes, the presentation, the colors, everything is just so perfect!
I am glad you enjoyed it Rucha! Thank you!