Inspired by the classic Kunafa, these delicious cupcakes are made with a kunafa crust and fluffy vanilla cake, filled with thick cream, and topped with whipped cream, crispy kunafa dough, crushed nuts, and sugar syrup. You won’t be able to stop at one!
By now, everyone knows my love for Kunafa. It’s the perfect dessert – crispy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside, sweet but not too sweet. God, I need some Kunafa right now.
While nothing can beat traditional Kunafa, these Kunafa Cupcakes are definitely a close second. They use all the delicious flavors of textures of Kunafa and pair them with a soft and fluffy vanilla cake, and let me tell you, it’s a match made in heaven.
Let’s get into the details.
Vanilla Cupcake
The vanilla cupcake is made with a simple batter that results in the softest cake ever. If you bake it right, it will be super fluffy and not dry at all. The recipe uses simple ingredients – butter, caster sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and comes together in less than 15 minutes.
Here are the steps for making the vanilla cupcake batter.
- In a bowl, add softened butter and caster sugar and whisk them together until the mixture becomes pale and creamy. Make sure the butter is soft and not cold as the whisking process creates air pockets in the butter which will not be possible if the butter is hard.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk again until combined. At this step, the batter may appear slightly split, but don’t worry about it. Once you add the flour, it will come together properly.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and whisk on low speed until everything is just combined. Make sure not to over mix at this step or the cake will come out dry.
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Kunafa Crust
The Kunafa crust adds a nice crunchy texture to the soft cake. It acts as a base for the cupcake and is made with only two ingredients – Kunafa/Kataifi dough and melted butter.
Here are the steps for making the Kunafa crust.
- Chop the Kunafa dough into small pieces and place it in a bowl.
- Pour melted butter on top and mix using your hands until the dough is properly soaked with the butter and is able to hold it’s shape when pressed together.
- Place 1 tablespoon of the prepared Kunafa dough into your cupcake liners and press it down to create a crust.
- Pour or pipe the vanilla cake batter on top of the crust, filling 3/4th of the way.
- Bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes on 170 degrees Celsius.
Filling and Topping
To complete the “Kunafa” effect, the cupcakes are filled with a thick cream, and topped with whipped cream, cooked crispy Kunafa, crushed nuts, and sugar syrup.
Here are the steps for filling and topping the Kunafa cupcakes.
- Kunafa topping: In a saucepan, add butter and let it melt. Add finely chopped Kunafa dough and cook, mixing often, until the dough turns golden brown and crispy. Place it on a paper towel to absorb the excess butter and let it cool completely.
- Sugar syrup: Make the sugar syrup my cooking sugar and water together on medium heat until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Let it cool completely before using.
- Whipped cream topping: Whip heavy cream or liquid whipping cream with icing sugar to stiff peaks and place it in a piping bag with any piping tip of your choice.
- Cream filling: Once the cupcakes have cooled down completely, create a pocket in the center using an apple corer or the back of a large piping tip. Push the piping tip in to the center of the cupcake, make sure not to go all the way through, and remove the center. Fill the pocket with any thick cream using a piping bag.
- Top the filled cupcake with a swirl of the whipped cream, a big handful of crispy Kunafa dough, crushed nuts and sugar syrup, and enjoy.
This is really one of those desserts that you won’t be able to stop eating cause it’s so delicious, has so many different textures, and isn’t too sweet.
Ready to make it? Let’s go!
PS: I always measure ingredients in grams, never in cups. Using a measuring scale is the only way to bake accurately. Cups are unreliable and can give different measurements, so I suggest you buy a measuring scale before you start baking! If you can’t get your hands on one, you can use the online tools for converting grams into cups; however, I do not guarantee their accuracy.
Kunafa Cupcake
Equipment
- 12 cupcake tray
- Cupcake liners
- Electric Whisk
- Saucepan
- piping bags
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcake
- 225 grams butter
- 225 grams caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
- 200 grams flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Kunafa Crust
- 120 grams Kunafa/Kataifi dough chopped
- 100 grams melted butter
Topping and Filling
- 200 grams sugar
- 150 ml water
- 200 ml liquid whipping cream/heavy cream
- 50 grams icing sugar
- 100 grams melted butter
- 120 grams Kunafa/Kataifi dough chopped
- 200 grams thick cream
- Crushed nuts
Instructions
Vanilla Cupcake
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius and line the cupcake tray.
- Add the butter and caster sugar in a bowl and whisk with an electric or stand mixer for 3-5 minutes until the mixture is pale and creamy.225 grams butter, 225 grams caster sugar
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until combined. The batter may look a little split at this step, but don’t worry about it.4 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla essence
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix again until you have a smooth, thick batter. Make sure not to over mix at this step or the cake will come out dry.200 grams flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt
Kunafa Crust
- In a bowl, add finely chopped Kunafa dough and melted butter and mix until the dough is properly soaked and can hold it’s shape.120 grams Kunafa/Kataifi dough, 100 grams melted butter
- Add one table spoon of the Kunafa dough in each cupcake liner and push it down to create a base.
- Top the Kunafa base with the vanilla cake batter using an ice cream scoop or a piping bag, filling it 3/4th the way.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cupcakes. Let them cool down completely
Topping and Filling
- Make the sugar syrup: Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil on medium heat without mixing. Lower the heat and let it simmer and cook for another 10 minutes or until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.200 grams sugar, 150 ml water
- Make the whipped cream: Whip the cream with the icing sugar on high speed until it reached stiff peaks and transfer it into a piping bag with any tip of your choice.200 ml liquid whipping cream/heavy cream, 50 grams icing sugar
- Make the Kunafa topping: Add the butter to a hot saucepan. Let it melt and add the chopped Kunafa dough. Let it cook, mixing often, until it turns golden brown. Place on a paper towel to soak the excess butter and let it cool completely before using.100 grams melted butter, 120 grams Kunafa/Kataifi dough
- Once the cupcake have cooled down, create a pocket in the center of each using an apple corer or the back of a large piping tip. Push the back of the piping top into the center of the cupcake but don’t go all the way through and pull out the center.200 grams thick cream
- Fill the center with thick cream using a piping bag.
- Pipe the whipped cream on top and add a big spoonful of the crispy Kunafa dough. Top with crushed nuts and sugar syrup and enjoy.Crushed nuts
Notes
- If the batter appears split when mixing the eggs and vanilla, don’t worry as it will come together once you add the flour.
- Don’t overman after adding the flour, mix only until the ingredients are combined, or the cupcakes will come out dry.
- Make sure the cupcakes have cooled down completely before filling and topping them.
Don’t get intimated by the length of this recipe, each component is super simple to make! You can easily make this entire dessert within 2 hours.
If you give this recipe a try, don’t forget to let me know how you liked it in the comments. And of course, share it with me on Instagram!
Until next time!
