These Rose Lychee Raspberry Cupcakes are delicately flavoured with rose water and fresh lychee. It's topped with a lightly sweetened rose and raspberry buttercream and is naturally coloured pink.
This first appeared on Sift & Simmer in March 2018. Updated July 2022.
What are lychees?
Lychee is a small, round tropical fruit with a white, soft, juicy flesh and a red-green rough textured rind/skin.
It contains a dark brown inedible seed in the middle.
The lychee skin turns from green to dark red as it ripens.
What does lychee taste like?
Ripe lychees taste sweet and impart a strong floral fragrance, similar to rose.
Looking for ways to use lychee?
Sparkling Strawberry Lychee Jasmine Tea
Why you'll love this recipe
This recipe for Rose Lychee Raspberry Cupcakes is easy to make.
Using cake flour yields an ultra tender cupcake.
Inspired by the delicate fragrance of rose flavour in Ispahan macarons, you'll enjoy these cupcakes.
Using fresh lychees (rather than canned lychee) gives these cupcakes a fragrant and delicious flavor.
These fluffy cupcakes are beautifully naturally pink coloured, with a little raspberry surprise inside.
What is Ispahan flavour?
Ispahan actually refers to a type of rose.
Pierre Hermé created the flavour and it is a combination of raspberry, rose and lychee, where I drew inspiration from for these croissants.
Ingredients you'll need
For the cupcakes, you'll need:
- fresh lychee: if you can find fresh lychees, use them; you can use canned if you can't find fresh
- whole milk: or non-dairy alternative
- rosewater: adds a light floral note; you can find rose water in South Asian/Persian stores
- cake flour: for best results, use a cake flour which has a lower protein content; don't use all-purpose or bread flour
- baking powder: acts as a leavener and adds lift to the cupcakes
- fine sea salt: omit if using salted butter
- unsalted butter: softened to room temperature; for this recipe, I prefer to use unsalted butter, but you can use salted butter and omit the salt and add a touch more sugar
- granulated sugar: regular cane sugar or granulated white sugar will work here
- egg: large egg; room temperature
- fresh raspberries: washed and blotted dry for the centre of each cupcake
For the Swiss meringue buttercream:
- egg white
- unsalted butter
- pinch of sea salt
- freeze-dried raspberry powder
- rose water
- dried rose petals: for garnish
How to make the lychee rose cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350F.
Line a muffin tray with paper liners. Set aside.
In a blender, combine the fresh lychee (seed removed), milk and rose water.
Blend the lychee, milk and rose water until smooth. (Note: It's OK if there are small bits of lychee pieces, but if you prefer a smoother texture, you can blend it again and push the lychee milk through a sieve). Set aside.
Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.
To a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the softened butter and sugar and cream until pale, light and fluffy.
Add in the egg, one at a time, until the mixture is homogenous.
Use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients (cake flour, baking powder, salt) to the butter-egg mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the lychee milk. Don't overmix.
Transfer about 1 tablespoon of cupcake batter to the bottom of each muffin well.
Place a raspberry in the centre of the batter.
Cover with another tablespoon of cupcake batter.
Give the tray a few taps to release any air bubbles.
Bake the cupcakes for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with the slightest crumbs clinging to it.
(Note: insert the toothpick off-center or you may hit the raspberry).
Let the cupcakes cool on a wire cooling rack.
Make the raspberry Swiss meringue buttercream
Place egg white, granulated sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Create a double boiler by heating a pot of water on the stove.
Make sure the mixing bowl can be placed over top of the pot without the water touching the bottom of the bowl.
Place the bowl with the egg white over the simmering water.
Whisk constantly until the egg white mixture is thin and foamy and registers 160F on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat.
(Note: If you don't have an instant-read thermometer, the sugar should be dissolved and feel hot to the touch).
Beat the egg mixture with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until light and airy and cooled to room temperature, about 5 mins.
Reduce speed to medium and add butter, one piece at a time.
Once all butter is added, increase speed to high and beat 1 minute until light and fluffy and thoroughly combined.
Add the freeze-dried raspberry and rose into the buttercream and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Note: Swiss Meringue Buttercream can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 2 months.
Decorate the cupcakes
Add the Swiss Meringue Buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip (I used a 1M Wilton star tip).
Pipe swirls of buttercream on the surface of the cupcakes.
Garnish with additional freeze-dried raspberry powder and dried rose petals.
How to store the cupcakes
Frosted/iced:
If not serving immediately, store the Rose Lychee Raspberry Cupcakes in a container in the fridge until ready to serve.
Remove the cupcakes from the fridge about 15-20 minutes prior to serving.
Freeze the frosted cupcakes (in a freezer-safe container) for up to 3 months.
Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the fridge or leave at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
Unfrosted:
If the cupcakes are unfrosted, you can individual wrap each cupcake and freeze for up to 3 months.
Defrost the cupcakes overnight in the fridge or leave at room temperature for a few hours.
Expert tips, FAQs & troubleshooting
For tender cake:
Use cake flour (low-protein), sift it, and don't over mix.
Don't overbake the cake. If a toothpick inserted comes out with some crumbs, then it's ready.
My cupcakes have a large dome
It is possible too much baking powder was added. Next time, reduce the baking powder by ¼.
My buttercream is curdled!
If the buttercream appears curdled, keep on beating.
If it continues to look curdled or soupy after 5 minutes of beating, remove some of the buttercream (about ¼ of it) and heat it in a bowl for 10-15 seconds in the microwave.
Then carefully pour the melted buttercream back into the mixer and the buttercream should whip up nicely.
I don't have freeze-dried raspberry powder
If you can get whole freeze-dried raspberry, you can use a coffee/spice grinder to pulse the freeze-dried fruit into a fine powder.
Be sure to sift it to remove any seeds/large chunks.
Can I use freeze-dried lychee powder for the buttercream?
Yes, you can use lychee powder to add more lychee flavour to the buttercream.
Can I double the recipe?
Yes, you can double the ingredients to make a larger batch.
Can I make them into mini cupcakes?
Yes, you'll need to reduce the baking time by a little, depending on your oven.
Substitutions
Use a raspberry jam or Raspberry Rose Compote as an alternative filling.
If you cannot find fresh lychees, you can use drained, canned lychees.
For a more pronounced lychee texture, you can use finely chopped lychees mixed into the cupcake batter.
Other recipes you may like
Be sure to check out these recipes:
Raspberry Rose Lychee Ispahan Croissant
Raspberry Earl Grey Cream Puffs
Be sure to let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!
Rose Lychee Raspberry Cupcakes
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
Lychee rose cupcakes:
- 3 fresh lychees seeds removed
- 25 ml whole milk or enough milk to make up a total of 60ml liquid when combined with the blended lychee
- 1 teaspoon rose water
- 100 g cake flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch fine sea salt
- 60 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 6 fresh raspberries blotted dry
Raspberry Swiss meringue buttercream:
- 1 large egg white
- 50 g granulated sugar
- pinch sea salt
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon freeze-dried raspberry powder
- 1 teaspoon rose water
Garnish:
- dried rose petals
Instructions
Make the lychee rose cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C.
- Line a muffin tray with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a blender, combine the fresh lychee (seed removed), milk and rose water.
- Blend the lychee, milk and rose water until smooth. (Note: It's OK if there are small bits of lychee pieces, but if you prefer a smoother texture, you can blend it again and push the lychee milk through a sieve). Set aside.
- Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.
- To a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the softened butter and sugar and cream until pale, light and fluffy.
- Add in the egg and mix until the mixture is homogenous.
- Use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients (cake flour, baking powder, salt) to the butter-egg mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the lychee milk. Don't overmix.
- Transfer about 1 tablespoon of cupcake batter to the bottom of each muffin well.
- Place a raspberry in the centre of the batter.
- Cover with another tablespoon of cupcake batter.
- Give the tray a few taps to release any air bubbles.
- Bake the cupcakes at 350°F/177°C for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with the slightest crumbs clinging to it.
- (Note: insert the toothpick off-center or you may hit the raspberry).
- Let the cupcakes cool on a wire cooling rack.
Make the raspberry Swiss meringue buttercream:
- Place egg white, granulated sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- Create a double boiler by heating a pot of water on the stove.
- Make sure the mixing bowl can be placed over top of the pot without the water touching the bottom of the bowl.
- Place the bowl with the egg white over the simmering water.
- Whisk constantly until the egg white mixture is thin and foamy and registers 160°F/71°C on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat. (If you don't have a thermometer, the sugar should be dissolved and feel hot to the touch).
- Beat the egg mixture with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until light and airy and cooled to room temperature, about 5 mins.
- Reduce speed to medium and add butter, one piece at a time.
- Once all butter is added, increase speed to high and beat 1 minute until light and fluffy and thoroughly combined.
- Add the freeze-dried raspberry and rose into the buttercream and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Note: Swiss Meringue Buttercream can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 2 months.
Decorate the cupcakes:
- Add the Swiss Meringue Buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip (I used a 1M Wilton star tip).
- Pipe swirls of buttercream on the surface of the cupcakes.
- Garnish with additional freeze-dried raspberry powder and dried rose petals.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
i
Liz
What gorgeous cupcakes! I love the pink swirl of frosting---and must hunt down (or make!) some lychee powder 🙂
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thank you Liz! Yes, I found the freeze-dried lychee in an Asian supermarket, and then pulverized it in a spice grinder. 😛
Kim | The Baking ChocolaTess
Such gorgeous cupcakes!! Those flavors are the bomb!
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thank you Kim!! Yes, it's one of my favourite flavour combos! 😀 Have an awesome weekend!
Cyn
Adorable cupcakes, I love how you incorporated lychee into them. I had only had lychee sake before but didn't know they had dried powder.
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thank you Cyn! Yes, they have freeze-dried lychee which is so convenient for baking! 🙂 But lychee sake sounds yummy! 😛
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
Love the flavors of these cupcakes Michelle! So pretty too!
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thank you very much Mary Ann!! 🙂 Hope you'll try the recipe!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Ooooh - these are the cutest!!! And the combo of raspberry and lychee sounds so yummy! There's no way I'm eating just one 😉
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thanks Dawn! You and me both! 😉 Have a great weekend!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
These are the cutest little cupcakes! And love the combo! Ain't no way I'm eating just one 😉
Ben|Havocinthekitchen
I've never tried prominent Ispahan macarons, but these cupcakes look as stunning as that dessert. The combo of raspberry, lychee, and (my favorite) rose water is so luscious, sophisticated, and refreshing - perfect for a fancy party. Very well done!
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thank you so much for the kind words, Ben! Loved seeing your rose donuts too! 🙂
Patrick@looneyforfood.com
Such beautiful cupcakes!!
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thanks Patrick! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Lisa | Tiny Kitchen Capers
These look delicious! I've never tried lychee and I didn't know you could get a powder...you've inspired me to try it!
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thank you Lisa! Oh I hope you get to try lychees! They are tangy and sweet, with a jelly-like texture and a seed in the middle. You' can find them in Asian supermarkets. The fresh fruit usually gets imported in the summer (if you're in Canada or the US).
Lily
These have to be the most gorgeous cupcakes I have ever seen! Love lychee fruit, wish it was more readily available here in Canada. Thank you for sharing such a fabulous recipe!
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thank you so much, Lily! That means a lot, coming from you! Your photos and baking look so gorgeous. I love fresh lychees and longans... but yes, only available in the summer. At least there's freeze-dried lychees now 😛
Katherine | Love In My Oven
These are SO pretty!! I am so glad you could be a part of this shower so you had the opportunity to make these!! They're GORGEOUS! I so appreciate all of your efforts, kind words and well wishes. It's amazing what lovely relationships I've developed through food blogging. Cheers, my friend! XO
Maria | kitchenathoskins
These cupcakes are way too adorable!!! That lychee and raspberry flavored buttercream is gonna be a go-to-combo going forward. Such a pretty shower addition.
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
Cupcakes are the best sweet treats for a baby shower, and these would be pretty perfect for Easter too! Love the flavours. Thanks for sharing!
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thanks Leanne! You're right, they would be great for Easter! 🙂 Have a good week ahead!
Marie
I'm a huuuuge cupcake fan and these just sound so lovely. What a wonderful flavour combo.
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thank you Marie! I do love the lychee rose raspberry combo ... or anything floral with lychee, for that matter 😛
Valerie
I'm in love with these flavors Michelle! These are just stunning! And you can never go wrong with cupcakes at a party!
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thank you so much Valerie! So true, cupcakes are always a good idea! Have a great week ahead!
Deepika|TheLoveOfCakes
Beautiful flavors! I hav never tried rose, raspberry and lychee together..but I can imagine how exotic these would be together!
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thanks Deepika! I quite love the combination together -- very floral and sweet. 🙂 Have a great week!
Stephanie | 31 Daily
These are so beautiful, Michelle! I can just imagine how delicious raspberry and lychee are together. So, so cute!
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thank you for your kind words, Stephanie! Yes, raspberry and lychee make for an amazing pairing 🙂 Have an awesome week!
Kim | Give it Some Thyme
What a pretty and delicious cupcake! Love the swirled frosting and the flavors sound amazing!!
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Aw thanks so much, Kim! Hope you get to try it one day!
Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
I am loving these cupcakes! So many sophisticated flavors! I wish this wasn't a virtual baby shower, because I really want to eat one (or two or three) of these! Thanks for being a part of the party 🙂
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thank you again for hosting the baby shower Kelly! Such a fun time visiting everyone's blog! Can't wait til the next "gathering!" 😀
Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
These cupcakes look delightful! Perfect for a pretty pink baby shower! Thanks for being a part of this fun party! XOXO
Stacey @ The Sugar Coated Cottage
These are so beautiful and perfect for a girls baby shower. I agree with you on the feminine flavor combo here, I think its really sophisticated to 😉 . Take care.
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thank you Stacey! Have an awesome week ahead 🙂
Stacey @ The Sugar Coated Cottage
I think these are so beautiful and perfect for a baby shower. I agree on the feminine flavor combo, I think its sophisticated to 😉 . Pinned. Take care.
Monica | Nourish & Fete
Oh my goodness, Michelle, these are just beautiful, and sound SO good! Raspberry is probably my favorite flavor, at least my favorite berry, but I've never paired it with lychee - and now I can't wait to fix that! So pretty for celebrating a new baby girl!
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thank you so much Monica! Raspberries and lychee are a perfect pair! 😉 Hope you'll get to try it!
heather (delicious not gorgeous)
these cupcakes are so cute! i've been hearing about the isaphan combo for years, but have just been dreaming about it, instead of actually tasting it. that'll have to change asap (;
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thanks Heather! Yeah, I haven't tried the famous combo myself... maybe one day! 😛
Emily @ Robust Recipes
These cupcakes sound so good! Love exotic flavor combos. Perfect to bring to a pink themed baby shower! 🙂
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thank you so much Emily! 🙂
Christie
These rose raspberry lychee cupcakes are amazing! I love the combination of the rose raspberry and lychee. I'm such a big fan of lychee fruit!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
I love the combination of raspberry, rose, and lychee - such a delightful and elegant flavour. Excellent twist on Ispahan!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
I honestly never thought to add Rosewater to baked goods, but this is brilliant! These cupcakes look so lovely, too!
David @ Spiced
Oh what a fun idea to use the freeze-dried raspberry powder in combination with lychee. The flavor sounds fantastic...and perfect for summer! I could go for one of these cupcakes this evening for sure!
Healthy World Cuisine
Rose- Lychee - Raspberry! Can we please have 2! Yum, all of our favorite flavors combined into one delicious bite. So dainty and pretty too.
Erika
These cupcakes sound fab! Just wondering when I add the rose water, I don’t think this was mentioned. Thanks!
Michelle
Hi Erika, the rose water is blended along with the lychee and milk. Thanks for catching that!