A sweet surprise, these Strawberry & SunGold Kiwi Upside-Down Cupcakes are a tropical dream. They’re light, fluffy, and bursting with kiwi flavour!
This post is sponsored by Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit. All opinions are my own, based on my own experience.
It’s the second post of Strawberry Week! Because dang it, it’s the best time of the year over here. Post #1 if you missed it was this ridiculously easy, unforgettable 3 Ingredient No-Churn Strawberry Ice Cream!
You know how much I love to experiment and play with my food (sorry mum), and this was one of those ideas that got in my head and wouldn’t let go. I mean, if you can ‘upside-down’ pineapples and peaches and cherries, why not a kiwi?
And like most of my experiments, the first three tries flopped. It was hard to get the kiwi to stay on top, but after doing some research and try #4, I discovered the secret! The trick is to flip it over onto a heat-safe plate almost immediately after you take them out of the oven. The ‘caramel’ is still runny, so it just melts into the rest of the cupcake, effectively glueing the kiwi on top. Thank you Google, you have saved me once again.
For the cupcakes, I modified this recipe from Strawberry Cupcakes from the Diva Dish, using farm-fresh strawberries of course!
Lay your sliced kiwis on the bottom of a greased cupcake pan (no liners!)
Add your “caramel” on top.
And scoop your cupcake batter so it fills about 2/3rds of the tin.
Have you ever seen anything so happy?
Now, like I said above, flip those over onto a heat-safe dish IMMEDIATELY, and let them cool that way. The caramel will just seal that kiwi right on. Yum!
Now, you can either serve them like that, OR you can add on some whipped cream or buttercream and top with – what else – fresh strawberries or more kiwi!
Kiwis are a treat here in the Northeast, where we have anything but a tropical climate! Luckily we can find these Zespri ones in our grocery store from May to October. They’re so healthy for you, no wonder they can have that beautiful rich golden colour. They have vitamin C, E, potassium, and a ton of fibre.
They’re so easy to eat, just cut them in half and scoop out all those delicious, sweet insides. (Although I have seen some people eat them with the skin on, but that is giving me texture goosebumps just thinking about it!). They’re fantastic in so many recipes! Like these cute Upside-Down Cupcakes.
- 2 Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit
- 1 1/2 cups white flour
- 1 tsp . baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk , OR 1/2 cup milk + 1 tsp vinegar, mixed
- ¼ c . strawberry puree
- 1/2 cup butter , melted
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- OPTIONAL: 3-4 drops red or pink food colouring
- 4 Tbsp brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp butter
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Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
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Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
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In your mixing bowl, cream your butter and sugar until light and fluffy, on med-high about 30 seconds.
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Add the eggs and vanilla.
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Combine the strawberry purée and buttermilk in another bowl, stirring until completely combined.
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Set your mixer to low, and add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture, and then add 1/3 of the strawberry mixture to the mixing bowl. DO NOT JUST DUMP THEM ALL IN. ALTERNATE THEM. Flour, then strawberry, flour, then strawberry. Continue doing this just until the flour and strawberry mixture are both gone, and your batter is mostly smooth. Scrape the sides occasionally with a spatula to make sure it all gets in there, but don't overmix.
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Add your optional food colouring.
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In a small pot on the stove over medium heat, melt the butter and add the brown sugar. Stir occasionally until the brown sugar is melted. Remove from heat.
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Cut your kiwis into thin slices, about 1/4 inch (~1/2cm) thin.
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Grease your cupcake tin, and place one slice of kiwi on the bottom of each cup.
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Add 1/2 tsp of caramel on top of each kiwi slice, spreading it out with a spoon so it's evenly distributed.
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Pour in your strawberry cupcake batter on top of the caramel and kiwi, filling each cup until it's about 2/3 of the way full.
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Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
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Remove from the oven, cover with a heat-safe plate and IMMEDIATELY flip over, leaving the cupcake tin over the cupcakes for 5-10 minutes. The caramel will still be hot, and will be absorbed by the cupcake as it cools, effectively 'glueing' the kiwi to the top of the cupcakes.
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Serve plain or with whipped cream, buttercream, and/or more slices of kiwi and strawberries!
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