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–+ servings

Rose Cupcakes with Rose Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Author: Michelle Lopez
yield: 20 cupcakes
5 from 1 vote
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Ingredients

For the Rose Cupcakes

    (makes 18 - 20 cupcakes)

    • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • a 'scant' 1 1/2 cups sugar
    • 1 3/4 all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon rosewater
    • 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
    • 2 eggs, at room temperature

    For the Rose Buttercream Frosting

      (enough for 18 - 20 cupcakes)

      • 3 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
      • 11 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
      • 3 teaspoons rosewater
      • 3 tablespoons whole milk, at room temperature

      Instructions

      For the Rose Cupcakes

      • Preheat the oven to 375 (F) and line a muffin tin with muffin cases.
      • Using a handheld electric whisk or a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment, whisk the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt together on a low speed until the mixture has the consistency of fine breadcrumbs.
      • Mix the rosewater with the milk in a Pyrex measuring cup, then add the eggs and whisk together by hand.
      • Pour three-quarters of the milk-rosewater-egg mixture into the dry ingredients, and mix on a low speed to combine.
      • Once the milk mixture has just been incorporated into the flour mixture, use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the remaining milk mixture. Mix on a medium speed until all the ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth once again.
      • Divide the batter between the muffin cases, filling each case until two-thirds full. Pop in the oven and bake for 18 - 20 minutes, or until well risen and the cupcake tops are golden and bounce back when touched.
      • Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the Rose Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows) on top.

      For the Rose Buttercream Frosting

      • Using an electric whisk or a freestanding mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together on a low speed until the confectioners' sugar and the butter until well combined.
      • Mix the rosewater with the milk in a small ramekin, and, keeping the whisk/freestanding mixer still running, slowly pour into the sugar-butter mixture. Once added, increase the whisk/mixer speed to high and continue beating until light and fluffy (at least 5 minutes).

      Notes

      Adapted from Cake Days
      Tips & Addendums
       
      • Rosewater can be found in herb shops, specialty baking shops, or most easily, the Asian/Indian section of a major supermarket. I used Nielsen-Massey rosewater that I found at my local New Seasons.
      • All spoon measurements are level and unsifted, unless otherwise specified. To level the ingredients, take the back of a knife and run it across the top of the measuring cup until the excess ingredients are scraped off.
      • Liquid and dry measuring cups are different; please make sure you use the appropriate measuring cup for each ingredient.
      • After adding the rosewater/milk/egg mixture to the flour mixture, don’t overbeat as this will overwork the flour and make the cake dense — simply beat until the milk and eggs have just been incorporated. In my opinion, making sure you don’t overbeat the batter is one of the hardest parts about baking.
      • I like to use a 1-tablespoon sized cookie scoop to divide the cupcake batter evenly between cupcake cases. For this recipe, I put 2 tablespoons of cupcake batter in each case.
      • Do not open your oven until at least the minimum time recommended has passed. Too much cold air coming from a frequently opened oven door causes irregular oven temperatures, which then affect the baking process.
      • Specifically for the Rose Buttercream Frosting: the longer you beat the frosting, the fluffier and lighter it becomes. I recommend a beating time of at least 5 minutes.
      • Again, to ensure consistency, I like to use a 1 tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to measure out 1 tablespoon of frosting for each cupcake.
      • Frost your cupcakes immediately after you have made the frosting. If you let the frosting sit out too long, it will start to crust and you will have a hard time frosting your cupcakes. However, make sure your cupcakes are cooled completely before frosting, or they will get soggy.
      • To decorate my cupcakes, I divided the frosting into three different bowls. I added a couple drops of pink food coloring to one bowl, a couple drops of purple food coloring in another, and left one bowl white. I then piped the rosettes you see in the picture.