Monday, July 13, 2015

Tasting the World Through Rose-Flavored Cupcakes

Hello, fellow cupcake lovers!

You may or may not have noticed (depending on your level of commitment to the cupcake cause), but May and June rolled by with nary a cupcake post, either here, or at the lovely Bright Corner. Alas, thus flies life. Amidst races, and recital preparation, and recital planning, and recital executing, and visits from our East Coast Cupcaker, a small reprieve was necessary. Happy July!

Last week, Lauren again began our delicious baking trend with Chocolate Lavender Cupcakes, and I'm here to follow suite with (drumroll, please):

Rose & White Chocolate Cupcakes



Shall we begin??

Last year, while up in Seattle for the day, I purchased a small vial of very strong rose flavoring from the Market Spice store. At first, my experiments with it in baking were border-line catastrophic, as I subbed in an entire teaspoon of the floral flavoring for a teaspoon of vanilla. The results were...barely edible, but I was determined to hit upon the sweet spot of flavoring. That perfect balance came together in the following cupcake recipe.

Sadly, pictures are a bit lacking for this post, as the cupcakes were snapped up and devoured - at least it's a testimony to tastiness!

Rose Cupcakes
2 c. gluten-free flour
{The first batch I made, I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour Mix. The second time, I used 1 cup of sorghum flour + 1 cup arrowroot. I like the flavor the sorghum flour adds, but it seemed to be a bit drier. If I try these again, I may try equal amounts of sorghum, arrowroot, and coconut}
1 c. sugar
{For paleo, substitute 1/2 c. honey + 1/4 tsp. baking soda. also, reduce milk amount by 1/4 c.}
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. xanthan gum
{If you're using a gf flour mix that already has xanthan gum, this is not necessary to add.}
1 c. almond milk
1 egg
{Chia seed substitute works well, too!}
3 TBSP coconut oil
1/8 tsp. rose flavoring
{Trust me - you want only this much!}


Whisk dry ingredients together before adding wet ingredients.

Don't over-mix! Batter will be wet, but just trust it. ;) Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes (until inserted toothpick comes out clean, but no longer!).



Let cool completely on wire rack, before frosting with:

White Chocolate Rose Frosting
6 oz white chocolate, melted & slightly cooled
{I used half a bag of good-quality white chocolate chips!}
1 c. room temperature butter
2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/8 tsp. rose flavoring
1/4 tsp. salt

Whip butter until fluffy. Add powdered sugar slowly until fully incorporated. Follow with the white chocolate, cream, rose flavoring, and salt. Voila! White chocolate rose frosting to top off the cupcakes!
Warning: this frosting is delicious, non-nutritious, and very rich. "Heavy on the frosting" not recommended! ;p

Review:
Basically, I loved these cupcakes - they're probably my favorite ones I've made so far!! I still like experimenting with different flours (I think that will forever be the part of the recipe I mess with the most), but both batches I made were delish. These are easily made paleo and vegan (as you can probably see from my excessive notes in the ingredients list), but I have yet to find a good, paleo, butter-cream-like frosting. If anyone discovers one, do pass it along!

Happy Cupcaking!

1 comment:

Lauren said...

I can attest to the yumminess! Rose wins every time!