Malunggay Cupcake is gonna be the solution to your kid’s picky eating habit.
Nowadays, young ones are not too fond of eating nutritious food like vegetables. That’s how adding veggies as ingredients to fun recipes have become really helpful. For this recipe, I added some malunggay leaves to one of the children’s favorite treats - cupcakes! Believe it or not, the recipe was a huge success. My little picky eaters absolutely loved it!
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Fast fact about Malunggay
Malunggay has long been hailed as a nutrient-filled vegetable in the Philippines. We love putting it in recipes like monggo and tinola. Not only does it add a unique taste to those dishes, but its nutrition is also sought after. Also, consuming it has little to no side effects. Which is why it is considered as a wonder among culinary experts.
Fortunately, these leaves are commonly found almost anywhere in the Philippines. Sometimes you may even notice a tree growing beside your house. So it is not much of a worry where you can get moringa leaves.
Ingredients and Substitute
The fresh malunggay leaves are the most important part of this recipe. They will provide lots of nutrients that we can benefit from. And of course, it will give our cupcakes a unique taste.
We’ll be using white sugar as our main source of sweetness for these treats. You may opt for other alternative sweeteners like honey and brown sugar too.
It is a must to be specific in using certain ingredients like unsalted butter when it comes to baking. However, you may use salted butter for other recipes if it is the only available variation in the supermarket. Just try to decrease the salt that you’ll be using.
Again, we’ll use the most common type of flour which is all-purpose flour. But there are also a lot of other options like wheat flour if you’re aiming for gluten-free cupcakes.
Baking powder is gonna help lighten the texture of our cupcakes. It is used in many baking recipes, depending on what you are making.
Although always used in small amounts, salt has proven to be an essential ingredient for baking. It will enhance the overall flavor of the cupcakes.
Eggs are also almost always present in making baked goods. Giving color and flavor are some of what it contributes to the recipe.
Adding milk will help retain moisture and achieve softness on our treats. It also provides flavor and color to the final product.
Vanilla extract works like salt in baking. It enhances the flavor of baked goods, especially the flavors on the sweet side. Forgetting to put it will make our goodies taste bland.
How to make Malunggay Cupcake
Preheat the oven at 170C temperature. Prepare the muffin pan in advance and line with paper cups.
Blend the malunggay leaves using a blender or food processor. Set aside for a while.
Mix the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl.
Get another bowl then cream both sugar and butter until they turn light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix everything well.
Combine the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
Add in the milk, vanilla extract, and blended malunggay leaves. Stir until they are well incorporated.
Pour the mixture into the cupcake pan. It should be about ¾ full then sprinkle optional grated cheese on top. Bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes. Check if the top of the cupcake springs back or use a toothpick to see if it comes out clean when inserted, that means they are done.
How to store your Malunggay Cupcake
You can store cupcakes at room temperature or refrigerate them. Both ways require the use of airtight containers or bags. For the ones stored at room temperature, the mini cakes can last for 2 days maximum. They can last longer when refrigerated, which is around 5-4 days. But be mindful that cupcakes tend to get dry easier when they get refrigerated.
Recipe
Malunggay Cupcake
Ingredients
- 1 cup malunggay leaves fresh
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 115 g unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 ¾ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 170C. Prepare muffin pan with lined paper cups. Set aside.
- Process the malunggay leaves using a blender.
- In a bowl, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix well.
- Combine the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Add the milk, vanilla extract and blended malunggay leaves. Stir until well incorporated.
- Pour into cupcake pan about ¾ full and sprinkle grated cheese on top. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the top of the cupcake springs back and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remove from the oven and let it cool in a wire rack.
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