Moist, fluffy and naturally blue butterfly pea flower cupcakes swirled with vanilla and butterfly pea powder buttercream.
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butterfly pea flower cupcakes
I absolutely love butterfly pea powder and think it deserves more recognition. It creates such a beautiful blue-hue that’s all natural, while also not leaving a strong taste behind. These butterfly pea flower cupcakes are a super light and fluffy vanilla cupcake dyed with butterfly pea powder, and topped with a two-toned vanilla buttercream that’s also dyed with butterfly pea powder. These cupcakes are perfect for the fourth of July, a baby shower, or, for when you just want a fun spin on your vanilla cupcakes.
what is butterfly pea flower?
The butterfly pea flower is a flowering plant that is most often used to make herbal teas. Butterfly pea flower tea is believed to be good for you thanks to the anthocyanins in the plant, which also give it its distinct blue pigment. Butterfly pea powder is simply the flower in powdered form, and is what we’ll be using for this cake. I will warn that the powder itself has a strong smell like matcha that might seem a little off-putting, but don’t worry! We’re only using a little bit of the powder here which will only yield the slightest taste in the cupcakes. The main thing we’re using the powder for is to create a fun, naturally-dyed vanilla cupcake.
expert baking tips
achieving your desired blue color
I put notes in the recipe of how much to use for a lighter or darker blue. For reference, I used 1/4 tsp. of the powder in the cupcake batter, and 1/8 tsp. in the frosting. Feel free to add more or less to adjust to the color that you’re looking for!
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Be careful when mixing the cupcake batter:
It is super important to not over-mix the cupcake batter or you will end up with tough and chewy cupcakes. Using the reverse creaming method makes it more difficult to over-mix the batter, but it’s still good to be aware of how much you are mixing it. Only mix just until all of the ingredients are cohesive.
Use room temperature ingredients:
This is super important for allowing the batter to come together smoothly. You’ll want to take your ingredients out of the fridge about an hour before baking to allow them enough time to come to room temperature.
Keep a close eye on the cupcakes while they bake:
Cakes and cupcakes like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them. I’d recommend that you start checking on the cake around 15 minutes.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for butterfly pea powder cupcakes
Butterfly pea flower cupcakes:
- All purpose flour: gives the cupcakes their structure.
- Baking powder: for helping the cupcakes rise.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the batter.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cupcakes and adding that nice buttery flavor to them. You can substitute salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt in the batter.
- Vegetable oil: for tenderizing the cupcakes. If you don’t have vegetable oil on hand, you can use another neutral oil such as canola.
- Granulated sugar: for adding sweetness and for locking in moisture.
- Egg white: for binding the batter together and adding moisture.
- Vanilla extract: for flavor.
- Buttermilk: for tenderizing the cupcakes and adding moisture. I recommend using full fat buttermilk for the best texture. I highly recommend using buttermilk but I know it can be hard or annoying to purchase, especially if you don’t plan on using it for anything else. It won’t be completely the same, but you can make a homemade buttermilk substitute. For this recipe, simply combine 35g sour cream with 55g whole milk.
- Butterfly pea powder: the star of the show and what gives the cake and icing their beautiful blue hue. This is the butterfly pea powder that I use.
Two-toned buttercream frosting:
- Unsalted butter: the base of the buttercream. Feel free to use salted butter here as well.
- Powdered sugar: sweetens and thickens up the buttercream. If you are looking for more of a melt-in-your-mouth texture, use organic powdered sugar!
- Vanilla extract: for flavor.
- Heavy cream: helps to thin out the buttercream a little bit so that it’s pipeable. You can use your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk here as well.
- Butterfly pea powder: for color. This is the butterfly pea powder that I use.
butterfly pea flower cupcakes recipe q&a
where can I find butterfly pea powder?
I haven’t seen butterfly pea powder at the store, so I always grab mine off of Amazon. Here is the link to the one I use! It’s a large bag relative to the amount we’ll need for this recipe but it does keep well for a long time.
can I double this recipe?
Definitely – just double all the ingredients and distribute the batter between 12 cupcake liners. Please be sure to use grams for the best results.
can I make these cupcakes ahead of time?
Definitely – I would recommend making the cupcakes no more than two days ahead of time. Store the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature. I’d recommend waiting to make the buttercream until you want to pipe it on to the cupcakes, to avoid needing to re-whip it.
how to store cupcakes
Like most baked goods, these vanilla cupcakes will definitely taste the best on the day that they are baked. They’ll keep very well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, but will still be good for about 5 days after baking.
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Butterfly Pea Flower Cupcakes
Ingredients
Vanilla Butterfly Pea Flower Cupcakes
- 90 g granulated sugar (scant ½ c.)
- 100 g all purpose flour (¾ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 41 g unsalted butter (3 tbsp.) cubed, room temperature
- 90 g buttermilk (3 oz.) room temperature
- ¼-½ tsp.* butterfly pea powder
- 32 g vegetable oil (2 ½ tbsp.)
- 1 egg white room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Two Toned Buttercream
- 113 g unsalted butter (½ c.) room temperature
- 200 g powdered sugar (1 ⅔ c.)
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tbsp. heavy cream
- ⅛-¼ tsp.** butterfly pea powder
Instructions
Vanilla Butterfly Pea Flower Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a muffin tin with 6 parchment liners.
- Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and cubed butter to a medium sized mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the mixture together until the butter has completely combined with the dry ingredients and no large lumps remain.
- Whisk together the buttermilk and butterfly pea powder until combined.
- Add the buttermilk, oil, egg white, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Whisk the ingredients together just until a cohesive batter has formed.
- Distribute the batter evenly between the six liners. Bake for 15-18 min., or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
Two Toned Buttercream
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat the butter for 1 minute to remove any lumps.
- Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until all of it has been used.
- Add in the vanilla and 1 tbsp. heavy cream, and beat for an additional minute.
- To the remaining 1/2 tbsp. of heavy cream, whisk in the butterfly pea powder.
- Split the buttercream in half. To one half, beat in the heavy cream-butterfly pea powder mixture until well combined.
- Place each buttercream color into it's own piping bag, and snip off a hole in the top. Then, place those two bags into another piping bag that's fitted with your piping tip of choice.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled to room temperature, frost them then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve never heard of a Butterfly pea lower tea Vanilla cupcake before. I’d have to try it.