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Meaning heavy on the chocolate…and the roses!
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.
It’s the roses.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Oh, and sorry about all these pictures. I can’t help but take loads photos when things are pretty…
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.
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
- 2 cups flour*
- 1/2 cup cornstarch*
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups canola oil
- 2 eggs at room temperature*
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons rose water*
- 2-4 teaspoons red food coloring
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened (or unsalted with 1/2 tsp salt), 8 tablespoons
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 vanilla bean seeds removed
- 2 teaspoons rose water*
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
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]
Have a very Deep Dark and Rosy, Red Velvet Cupcakes Friday!
So I just made these for my daughters birthday, they came out perfect. Except I used cake flour and cornstarch?Will that be okay?
Hi tieghan!
I made these cupcakes the other day and I just loved them. I was wondering if there was a way to convert this recipe into a cheesecake? Is there anyway you could help me out the recipe adjustments? Thanks in advance!
Hey, it’s my sons 3rd birthday next Friday I want to make red velvet cake, how don’t modify this recipe for a cake please?! Would appreciate help
Many thanks
Lal
UK
Hi!
I would recommend baking in two 8 inch cake pans. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can’t wait to make these! I’m always stumped about storage afterward – should I refrigerate these if preparing them the day before an event?
HI! Yes, keep in the fridge and then bring back to room temp before serving them. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi! I made these yesterday without the rose water (couldnt find it and couldnt wait for Amazon). They turned put a bit dry but the flavors were amazing. You weren’t kidding about the frosting. Any suggestions to help with the dryness? I have made some of your other cupcake recipes before and they have always been so moist. Thanks!
Hi Rebekah! I would try adding an additional 1/4 cup of buttermilk to help fix any dryness. I think that should work great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. So glad you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
I am so excited to try these cupcakes but was wondering if I could make them into a cake. If so, what dimension cake pans and how many? Thanks!
I Would use 2 (8 inch) cake pans. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
I have never made red velvet cake because I am also not a fan of food coloring. Have you looked into making red velvet cake with color from beets? It’s on my to do list, but wanted to see if anyone has tried it.
HI! I really want to make these for my birthday party’s this weekend but I would really want this to be a cake. Have you ever altered this recipe a bit to make that possible? And if not, how could I turn this into a cake? Thanks x
Hi! I have not made this as a cake, but the recipe should make one, two layer cake perfectly. Just divide the batter evenly between 2 cake pans and bake 20-25 minutes. Cool and then frost Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Birthday!
Hey! These look stunning!
I was wondering if this mix can be used for an 8 inch cake tin? I want to bake a birthday cake for my friend
Hey Anna! Yes, divide the batter between two 8-inch cake pans. Hope you love the recipe!
I made this today and it tasted really good. Normally whenever I bake from scratch something will always be missing. But this time, it was PERFECT!!! I liked how the choco-bits were incorporated into the mixture and remained there.
However, I don’t know what went wrong but my frosting was more liquid then it’s suppose to be. It still tasted amazing but would have liked it better if it was more sold.
Overall, this recipe is defiantly a must-to-make.
Thank you for sharing.
THANKS!! So happy you enjoyed them!!
If i wanted to skip out on the rose flavoring, would it leave an awesome new red velvet recipe? Would the batter change or would the frosting need anything else?
Hey Dayna!
No problem, you would just have a delicious red velvet cupcake. No need to add anything, just leave the rose flavorings out. Hope you love these!!
Extra chocolatey red velvet cupcakes… Don’t mind if I do!! I’m trying out this recipe as soon as possible! Lovely photos too, as per usual 🙂
These photos are beautiful! Im not a baker but I’d try a really chocolatey red velvet. Yum. To reinforce what someone kind of adamantly mentioned before–gender roles are passe now, lol! Girly, manly, both, neither…we’re so fortunate to live in an age where we can pick and choose what is appropriate for however we identify, without having to justify ourselves. I think it’s one of the great things that makes our generation really relative. 🙂
Beautiful photos…I’m a master gardener…roses are my weakness! I also bake a lot of cupcakes but have never used real flowers for decoration yet….when u purchased the roses, did the seller claim they were ‘safe’ for food use? Curious about the recipient ‘s reaction to the live rose decoration…. Just gorgeous!
So pretty, Tieghan!