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    Home » Desserts

    Pink Grapefruit Cupcakes

    Published: Jan 6, 2023 · Modified: Jan 24, 2023 by burntapple · This post may contain affiliate links · 3 Comments

    Satisfy your sweet tooth in a healthier way with these pink grapefruit cupcakes. Combining the sweet and tart flavors of fresh grapefruit juice and zest, these moist cupcakes are the perfect combination of flavor, texture, and beauty. Get ready to try the ultimate recipe for this delicious snack now!

    Creating Pink Grapefruit Cupcakes

    I absolutely love grapefruit. But it's a hard thing to make for others. Some like it tart grapefruit--others like sweet grapefruit. These cupcakes took a long, looong time to perfect. Now it's the best of both sweet and tart.

    This recipe uses grapefruit zest and a  frosting that is incredible when combined together! And it's the perfect dessert for spring and summer wedding receptions, baby and bridal showers, and children's birthday parties.

    Gather Your Ingredients

    To make your pink grapefruit cupcakes, you'll need a few specific ingredients. These include fresh pink grapefruits, yogurt, applesauce or oil, sugar, flour, baking powder,  egg whites, and vanilla extract.

    Bake the Cupcakes

    Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). In a bowl, mix together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, a pinch of salt and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup of softened butter, ½ cup of white granulated sugar and ⅔ cup of light brown sugar. Incorporate 2 eggs into the mixture one at a time then add in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients until combined and creamy. Gradually pour in ¼ cup of pink grapefruit juice and fold in ¼ teaspoon of ground cardamom. Divide the batter evenly amongst 12 muffin cases in a muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

    Prepare the Frosting

    Before you start baking, you can prepare the frosting in advance so that it's ready when the cupcakes come out of the oven. For this recipe, we suggest creating a cream cheese frosting. In a bowl, mix together the ½ cup butter, 4-5 cups of powdered, 2 tablespoon honey and grapefruit juice until smooth. Once your cupcakes are ready and cool, spread this delicious frosting on each one. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes before serving to let the flavors settle in. Enjoy!

    Enjoy Your Delicious Cupcakes!

    Now it's time to enjoy your yummy, zesty pink grapefruit cupcakes! Perfect for any event or occasion, these sweet treats are sure to be loved by all. Enjoy with a nice cold glass of milk or sip on some hot tea - however you decide to have it, these cupcakes are guaranteed to satisfy your taste buds!

    Substitutions

    • Dairy Free: To make these cupcakes dairy free, use dairy free yogurt and butter.
    • Gluten Free: Making these cupcakes gluten free is easy! Just substitute gluten free flour in place of the all purpose flour.

    PINK GRAPEFRUIT CUPCAKES

    INGREDIENTS

    • 4-5 teaspoon grapefruit zest puree
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1 6 oz container fat free plain greek yogurt
    • ¼ cup applesauce + 2 tablespoon oil
      • (or ⅓ cup oil if no applesauce is available)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 4 egg whites
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 ½ cup all purpose flour

    Directions

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups. In a mixing bowl, combine the grapefruit zest and sugar. Mix for several seconds. Add the yogurt, applesauce and vanilla. Continue mixing until smooth. Add eggs and mix until eggs are blended. Stop mixer and scrape bowl. Turn to low speed and add baking powder, flour, and salt. Mix just until wet ingredients blend with the dry ingredients.

    Turn off mixer and fill muffin cups ⅔ of the way full. Bake for 17-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven, move to wired cooling racks and allow to cool completely before frosting.

    Grapefruit Buttercream Frosting

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup butter
    • ¼ cup grapefruit juice
    • 2 tablespoon mild honey, preferably clover (for a tarter grapefruit taste, use 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon grapefruit juice)
    • 4-5 cups powdered sugar

    Directions

    Beat softened butter until light and fluffy. Add grapefruit juice and honey and incorporate well. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Spread onto cupcakes.

    Frosting adapted from Spokesman Review Sept. 27, 2006

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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Lori

      February 09, 2013 at 10:58 pm

      I love grapefruit! I never thought of using it in cupcakes. What a great idea. They look wonderful!

      Reply
    2. Linda kraner

      June 02, 2023 at 4:48 pm

      Is there anyway you can leave out the grapefruit puree? Thank you. They look beautiful!

      Reply
      • burntapple

        June 05, 2023 at 9:44 am

        Hi Linda, yes you could leave it out but will need to make sure you substitute a liquid. It could alter the taste of the cupcake as well. Let me know how it works out! Thanks, Traci

        Reply

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