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Meaning heavy on the chocolate…and the roses!

Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

You know how yesterday I was talking about the tomboy in me? Well today, I am kind of kicking that part of me to the side and going all girly on you guys. Well, not that girly, but I did make cupcakes flavored with roses and while these picture have sort of a dark and moody feel, I can’t help but feel happy just looking at them.

Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

It’s the roses.

Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Flowers are the one girly thing that suck me in every time. I am not big on make-up (mascara and chapstick is about it for me), I really do not like the color pink, I’d rather drive a stick shift car than an automatic and I’d rather spend the day in the snow, maybe even hanging out with my brothers, than in the mall (BUT I do like the mall…on a rainy day…my grandma did pass that gene onto me). Also, just thought I should mention that my younger sister Asher (she’s six) and I could not be more different. She is the ultimate girly girl and pink is her all time favorite color.

Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

And now that we got that all sorted out, let’s talk about all things Deep Dark and Rosy, like these Red Velvet Cupcakes.

This was my first experience with baking red velvet cupcakes. Normally, I am not that into red velvet because food coloring freaks me out a bit and well, there is really just not enough chocolate in them for my liking. So while I still used the food coloring, I did end up adding kind of, sort of, a lot more chocolate. Hence the “Deep Dark” part to this recipe.

Oh, and rose water!! Some of you may think it’s weird to be flavoring cupcakes with roses, but I promise you, it’s not and it’s so perfect.

If you don’t have rose water on hand… nor does your neighbor, your mom or your sister, and you simply must make these today, you can leave the rose water out.

Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

But really, the flavors all compliment each other really well, so try to find the rose water first!

The standouts from greatest to least are chocolate, rose and vanilla. When mixed in with a little sugar and a little butter, magic happens. No really it does.

Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

I know that a lot of people only associate red velvet with Christmas, but for me, red velvet is definitely a February thing. And for some reason this year, I really went full force with the V-Day eats. No idea why, but it was fun (so umm, check back next week because there is a lot of good food coming your way).

These cupcakes were just the start, I loved them. I haven’t said that yet, but I really did love them. The chocolate flavor is awesome and subtle light flavors of the roses balance the chocolate out. AND that cream cheese frosting. Whoa.

That’s maybe the best thing ever. Seriously, so good.

Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

The good thing, no awesome thing, about these cupcakes is that you can make them anytime of the year. For a particular occasion…or for no reason at all, which really is the best.

Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Oh, and sorry about all these pictures. I can’t help but take loads photos when things are pretty…

Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

And, expect more of these roses. I paid forty bucks for them, so you know I used them till their death. Actually, they are not dead yet, maybe I can color them green for March – just kidding.

Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes.

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 24 Cupcakes
Calories Per Serving: 434 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

Frosting

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 standard muffin tins with paper liners.
  • Whisk together flour, cornstarch, cocoa, and salt.
  • With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together the sugar and oil until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in food coloring, vanilla and rose water.
  • Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk, and mixing well after each addition. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam) and add the mixture to the batter, mix on medium speed until combined. Stir in the chopped chocolate.
  • Divide batter evenly among the prepared pans, filling each three-quarters full. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, do not over bake. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Meanwhile, make the frosting, using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla bean seeds and rose water until smooth. Add cream to reach your desired consistency.
  • Once the cupcakes are cool, frost with the cream cheese frosting. Decorate with roses if desired.

Notes

*I do not regularly keep cake flour on hand so I used a mix of all-purpose flour and cornstarch. If you happen to have cake flour on hand, you can use 2 1/2 cups cake flour and NO cornstarch. **To quickly bring eggs to room temperature place them in a bowl and fill with warm water. Let them sit five minutes. ***Rose water can be purchased at most health food stores or online. Here is the link to the one I bought on [Amazon | http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00194BI4I/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00194BI4I&linkCode=as2&tag=halbakhar-20&linkId=6IVXRZX5326TJMKR]. I chose the 4 oz bottle because it was more economical than the 2 oz bottle. **** Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers. Once the cupcakes are frosted, store in the fridge and bring to room temp before eating. This recipe is easily halved. ****Cupcakes adapted from [Martha Stewart | http://www.marthastewart.com/317517/red-velvet-cupcakes]
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Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Have a very Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes Friday!

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Comments

  1. Ooooh Tiegan these turned out Devine!!! I used Americolor soft gel paste- Electric Red from Amazon and the color looks just like your pictures; honestly I wouldn’t change a thing on the recipe but I’ll experiment with 1/8 amount of salt next time coz the first time I tried them I thought they were a tad bit salty but soooo delicious and super filling after 3 bites; but as with any new recipe there’s an adjustment period; we can’t stop eating them!! You are the best!

    1. Hi Nancy,
      Amazing!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! So glad to hear that they turned out well for you! Xx

    1. Hi Kerri! You could definitely make this into a cake, I would just increase the bake time another 10 ish mins until a toothpick comes out clean! xT

  2. 5 stars
    I made this as a gravity cake for my dream-son and it was a HIT! everybody loved it and tasted amazing! For the red color, like others said, if you use the “natural” ones made of beet juice, it’s going to look more red-purple than red. I wish i could post a pic here, but will share on IG and Pinterest. Thank you Tieghan!

    1. Hi Danielle,
      You can just use plain water:) Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it!! xTieghan

    1. Mine didn’t turn out red at all either. I even used 12 drops of red food coloring. Oh well! It was still delicious.

  3. what beautiful cupcakes! i was wondering, how stiff is the frosting? i’m thinking about piping icing roses. if the icing is too loose, could you give me some advice on how to make the icing stiffer? thanks so much for this recipe!

    1. Hey Cathy,
      I think that would be totally fine to do with this icing! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

  4. Hi, Tieghan! Somehow I can not reply to your comment so posting a new comment. I’ve asked you about canola oil substitution. I’ve used grapeseed oil instead after all. And made it a cake for my son’s birthday. It turned out great! Even the rosewater flavor which I was afraid of (usually I don’t like it in desserts at all). Everybody loved it! Thank you very much! All your recipes I’ve tried so far were amazing, literally all of them! Thank you!

  5. Hello! Can you tell me pls what I could use instead of canola oil? I’m planning to try to make it a cake. Thank you!

  6. Hello! I’m planning to try this recipe as a cake. Can you tell me pls what I could use instead of canola oil? Thank you!

    1. Hey Anastasia,
      You could use vegetable oil in place of the canola oil. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

    1. Hey Julia,
      So sorry these turned out dry for you. Was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? This would help me to better answer your question. Let me know how I can help! xTieghan

  7. Hi there! Making this delicious recipe for Christmas Eve Dessert (and your crock pot short rib over potatoes recipe for dinner!)… do you happen to know the bake time if instead of cupcakes I did two 8″ round cake pans? Thanks so much!

    1. Hey Laura,
      I would start checking for doneness at 30 minutes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan