Debbie Barbash’s Tropical Paradise! Cupcakes

During the pandemic, I was not able to visit my grandparents in Taiwan for almost two years. I miss the tropical air, fruits, warm weather and nice people there. This is the original idea behind my design of this cupcake.

My favorite fruit from Taiwan is mango. It is the most flavorful, most colorful, and most exotic fruit in the world. For some reason, it goes so well with coconuts. Both remind me of those good memories with my family in Taiwan, where is a tropical paradise!

Of course, no cupcake can be done without a piece of chocolate! I made my chocolate pieces into the shapes of ice cream cones and pineapples to resonate with the tropical atmosphere I am trying to create.

—By Debbie Barbash