Delightfully aromatic, these artichoke cupcakes are spiced with cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon and topped with a creamy faux-cream cheese frosting.
About a month ago, my daughter and I stumbled on artichoke cupcakes at Tidal, a little coffeehouse in Monterey, California. At first, we were not sure if they were savory or sweet, and were reluctant to try them.
But, then the sweet ladies who worked behind the counter included us in a sampling session of these artichoke cupcakes, and I was hooked.
Very similar to zucchini cupcakes, but just a tad moister, those artichoke cupcakes hit the spot as we were taking a break between whale-watching tours, on our short vacation to Central California.
I was seriously enamored with those artichoke cupcakes, so when I got back to Atlanta, I tried to find a place here that sold them. Alas, all my searching was unfounded. So, I decided I would try and make some myself.
What are the ingredients needed to make these artichoke cupcakes?
To make these artichoke cupcakes, you will need the following 16 ingredients:
- Artichokes
I used artichokes canned in water for this recipe. Make sure you do not use artichokes marinated in oil or canned in oil. - Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract
- Canola oil
- Orange juice
I used pulp-free orange juice. - Orange zest
Make sure the zest is all that is scraped off and not the white part of the orange, which is just under the skin. - Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
Light brown sugar adds so much flavor to baked goods, so I added some here while making these. - All-purpose flour
If your dietary demands are such, gluten-free flour can be used instead of regular all-purpose flour. - Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
- Ginger
After you gather all your ingredients together, it’s just a matter of draining and chopping up the artichokes, mixing together the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in another.
Then combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix in the chopped artichokes. The finer you chop the artichokes, the less chance there is of biting into a large chunk of them.
Scoop handfuls into a lined cupcake pan, bake, cool, frost, and enjoy!
What do artichoke cupcakes taste like?
The artichoke cupcakes we tried in Monterey tasted a lot like well-spiced zucchini cupcakes, minus the zucchini.
So, I figured I would start with a zucchini cupcake base, and add artichokes canned in water, instead of zucchini.
After a couple of failed attempts, I ended up with the ones you see here today.
These artichoke cupcakes are made with canned artichoke and are so moist and delicious. Topped with a creamy, dairy-free, tangy frosting similar to a cream cheese one, these cupcakes are a welcome treat after a meal or as a snack.
Once made and frosted, these cupcakes are best stored in an airtight container in your fridge. They will stay fresh for about 4-5 days.
Have you ever tried artichoke cupcakes before? If you have not and decide to make these, please do tag Savory Spin on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest and let me know your thoughts!
Ingredients
For the artichoke cupcakes:
- 1 cup artichokes canned in water
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla Extract
- 1/4 tsp almond Extract
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ginger
For the frosting
- 4 cups icing sugar
- 1 stick butter at room temperature I used vegan butter
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1-2 tbsp milk – I used almond milk
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Then, open the can of artichokes and drain them well. Then, place them on a cutting board and chop them up as finely as you can and set them aside.
- In a large bowl, using a fork or whisk, mix together the eggs, vanilla extract, orange juice, orange zest, canola oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- In another bowl, sift the flour in, then mix in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger.
- Then, mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Add in the chopped canned artichokes and fold until well incorporated.
- Line either a 12-cup or 2×6 cup muffin/cupcake trays and spoon the artichoke cupcake batter into these.
- Place in the oven that was preheated to 350 degrees.
- Let bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Remove tray from oven and let cupcakes cool to room temperature before frosting.
- To make the frosting, place the thawed butter, icing sugar, and milk in a large bowl and mix with a handheld electric mixer. Then add in the salt and almond extract and mix well.
- Pipe or dab the frosting onto the cupcakes and enjoy!
Carmel cafe! Her cupcakes are bomb. She presented the recipe at the artichoke festival. Yours is very different so I have to ask.. does your center turn green? That was one of the things that really amused me about it.
Hello Luiza,
Thanks for your message! Mine didn’t turn green – fascinating fact btw!
[…] in this case, I couldn’t pick between the cupcake part and the frosting, much like with these artichoke cupcakes. They were so well balanced – even with the coconut sugar in the cupcake. Or, maybe I should […]
Excited to try this recipe but feel obligated to point out that monterey is central california not southern. We call it “the bay area”. Culturally they are two very distinct regions!
How interesting! I’ve always associated artichokes with savoury recipes, so it’s quite unique to see them in a dessert. But I like the idea, and all those aromatics sound lovely!
I’ve never had an artichoke cupcake! Neat idea, fun recipe. Thanks!