Saffron & Cranberry Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
These festive saffron & cranberry cupcakes have soft, fragrant sponge, with luscious vanilla cream cheese frosting. The cupcakes are so adaptable and can be made with gluten free, all-purpose or spelt flour.
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| My saffron cupcakes |
| Sweden’s love for saffron |
| Saffron in baked goods |
| A simple cream cheese frosting |
| More saffron recipes |
My saffron and cranberry cupcakes
Using saffron in cakes is perhaps somewhat unusual. We already know how wonderful it works in paella along with Moroccan and Persian dishes. But cakes? My saffron cupcakes are made with spelt flour, but I have also made them gluten free. So, the recipe can be adapted to suit a range of different flours.
My beautiful little cupcakes have soft, fragrant sponge, peppered with cranberries. They are topped with a gorgeous, not too sweet, vanilla cream cheese frosting and a sprinkling of pistachios.
Making a total of eight cakes, you will impress any guests you have this festive season.
Sweden’s love for saffron
Saffron is an ancient spice. It comes from the purple crocus flower and is so expensive because it only flowers in the autumn. Harvesting the strands needs to be done by hand and is therefore very labour intensive. Luckily, you only need a smidgen for it to work its magic.
Saffron is so alluring. It still amazes me how such a cold country, with fairly neutral food, welcomed it with open arms. Sweden’s love affair with saffron is not a new one. It is interwoven in Sweden’s history, with the first mention way back in the early 14th century. Saffron arrived on Sweden’s shores via trading with China, and since then, has been used in celebratory and festive food.
We start to see saffron (saffran in Swedish) appear in supermarkets around the end of November, as we’re gearing up for the St Lucia celebrations. It comes in tiny sachets weighing only half a gram. It’s so expensive that you can’t just pick it off the supermarket shelves; it is safely stored behind the counter and you have to ask for it.
During Lucia we make vibrant lussebullar (lusse=Lucia and bullar=buns), sometimes referred to as lussekatter (katter=cats). These are easily recognizable sweet buns, where the dough is most commonly shaped into an S. As Christmas approaches, saffron is used in a whole host of seasonal baking in Sweden.
Using saffron in baked goods
It’s not only Sweden that is mesmerized by saffron. Perhaps its exorbitance plays a part in its mystique, but it’s more than that. If you’ve never tried saffron in baked goods, it has a taste that is tricky to put into words. It’s quite indescribable. It gives a powerful, distinctive punch and there is nothing else quite like it. Things like cakes and cookies need very little, which is good given its hefty price tag.
Then there’s how saffron looks when baked up. That’s the real appeal for me. It gives off such a beautiful, golden yellow colour that is so pretty. And we eat with our eyes, right?
Although saffron is popular in Sweden in the run up to Christmas, its use isn’t only limited to the festive season. Many countries around the world include saffron in their baked goods at Easter (although this is less common here in Sweden). In Ukraine, they enjoy an Easter paska, whereas in the UK, they have Cornish saffron cakes and buns.
A simple cream cheese frosting
They’re finished with a gorgeous vanilla cream cheese frosting that’s perfectly balanced. It is smooth, creamy, and just sweet enough without being overpowering. It complements the tart pockets of cranberries beautifully and adds a lovely touch of indulgence.
I didn’t pipe the frosting. This lady doesn’t do piping. I’m very much a frosting dumper and runner. A generous dollop, a quick swoosh with a palette knife or the back of a spoon, and I’m done. Of course, if you enjoy a bit of finesse, feel free to pipe yours into elegant swirls or neat peaks. But honestly, they taste so good, they don’t need anything fancy to shine.
To finish, I scattered a few more dried cranberries and some roughly chopped pistachios over the top. The bright pops of red and green give them a lovely festive look without much effort. Both toppings are completely optional, but they do add a nice contrast in texture and a bit of extra cheer
Saffron and Cranberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 100g (¼ cup + 3 tbsp) butter
- ½ gram (⅛ tsp) ground saffron
- 1 egg
- 80g (⅓ cup) sugar
- 75ml (⅓ cup) milk
- 120g (1 cup) flour (see note 1)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 80g (2¾ oz) dried cranberries
Frosting:
- 200g (7 oz) cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 80g (⅘ cup) icing sugar
Decoration:
- chopped pistachios and dried cranberries (optional)
Instructions
Cupcakes:
- Pre-heat the oven to 175ºC (350ºF).
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake cases.
- Melt the butter and then stir in the saffron. Set to one side.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and sugar together until nice and fluffy.
- Add the butter/saffron mix and the milk, and stir just until combined.
- In another bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Then, stir into the wet ingredients.
- Lastly, gently stir through the cranberries until evenly dispersed.
- Split evenly between eight cupcakes cases.
- Bake for around 16-18 minutes (in the lower part of the oven). They are ready when an inserted skewer comes out almost clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely.
Frosting:
- Beat the cream cheese together with the vanilla and half of the icing sugar.
- Continue to add as much icing sugar as you need to achieve a very thick frosting.
- Spread over the top of each cupcake (or pipe if you prefer).
- Finish iff with a sprinkling of pistachios and cranberries (optional). Enjoy!
Notes
- I have made these cupcakes with both gluten free and spelt flour. Alternatively, you could use all-purpose flour (just use the same amount of flour for all three). The texture may vary a little depending on the flour you use, but it won't affect the end result too greatly.
