vanilla bean rose cupcakes
Your oven will be coming up roses.
Happy Thursday, ya’ll! Derby weekend fast approaches and if you’re wobbling around trying to figure out a good spread to serve to your party guests, or a dish to bring to a friend’s soiree, I think these Vanilla Bean Rose Cupcakes are your golden ticket.
Who wants a bouquet of flowers when you have a bouquet of TREATS?
I had difficulty coughing up a concept for a Derby dessert. I felt that the normal formulas had been overcooked, like Derby pie or bars or anything with pecans. I eventually reverted to my current obsession with cupcakes and with the color pink, and eventually rose-infused cakes came to mind.
I’m pretty damn pleased with the result!
My soft vanilla cake is infused with rosewater and swirled with a rosy buttercream that looks especially beautiful with a cerise tint. These little guys are really special and will wow your guests or your hosts this Saturday. A beautiful option for any sort of spring and summer gathering, really!
Rose-Colored Glasses
The vanilla cupcake I use is no stranger to FMG, but today we’re stirring in some culinary rose water for a light floral infusion. You can buy bottles of rosewater on Amazon or many specialty grocers. Just be sure it is culinary grade – DO NOT BUY THE FACIAL SPRITZ OH MY GOD.
Anywho. Whip sugar and vegetable oil in your mixer, then beat in eggs, vanilla bean extract (regular vanilla is fine too, but vanilla bean is extra fragrant and lovely in this recipe), and plain Greek yogurt.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running, stream in first your rosewater, then buttermilk. A slightly lumpy batter is ideal so long as there’s no visible streaks of flour.
Pop some liners into your cupcake tins, then scoop batter into each, filling 2/3 of the way full. Very important not to get overeager with your portions, these cupcakes rise really well and will turn into muffins if you’re not mindful.
Bake 25-30 minutes until the cupcakes are nice and set up. Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then move the little dudes to wire racks to cool completely.
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
…And mine is describing how to swirl a rosette on the cupcake like I did. No fucking idea. I will straight up tell you that Googling the process will be much easier than trying to read my horseshit.
But first, we gotta make the buttercream. This is my standard vanilla whipped frosting with a tint of rosewater to keep on theme.
Mix up butter, vanilla extract, and rose water, then add your powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until incorporated, and some heavy cream. Crank the mixer up and whirlybird that shit until fluffy and soft. You may need another tablespoon or two or cream if the frosting is too stiff.
For the colorplay, I pulled half of the frosting out of the mixing bowl and plopped it into a second bowl. Stir in a couple drops of red food dye to create a delightful, soft hue.
Pipe the rosettes onto the cupcakes. When you get down to your last scoop of pink frosting, add in the white and watch some pretty little swirls form, much like in my Rainbow Funfetti Cupcakes. Just gorgeous, right?
Bake ahead? Cupcakes can be baked up to 3 days ahead of time. I would frost and serve immediately after that point to ensure the best texture.
Freezing? Fuck yeah! Cupcakes will freeze for up to 3 months, sealed tight in a container. Thaw 20-30 minutes on the counter before noshing.
Where to find vanilla bean and rosewater? I bought this brand of rosewater and used Trader Joes’ vanilla bean paste, which they carry year round.
Enjoy, friends!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Lookin’ rosy in here:
vanilla bean rose cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean extract
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup culinary rose water
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
rose buttercream
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 2 tbsp culinary rose water
- 1 tsp vanilla bean extract
- 4 1/2-5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4-1/3 cup heavy cream
- 2-3 drops pink food dye
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with parchment liners.
- In a large bowl, beat the oil and sugar for 2-3 minutes until combined. Whip in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla and yogurt. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running, stream in the rose water, then the buttermilk until the batter is just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fill each cupcake tin 2/3 of the way with batter. Depending on what your heart says 2/3 of the way full is, you will get 22-24 cupcakes. Bake for 25-30 minutes until an inserted toothpick emerges with just a few moist crumbs. Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then transfer the cupcakes to wire racks. Cool completely.
- Make the frosting. Whip the butter, vanilla, and rose water until combined, then add 4 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar and 1/4 cup of cream. Crank the mixer to high, and beat until very light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. You may need an extra tablespoon of two of cream to achieve the desired texture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, as needed, to properly incorporate all the ingredients.
- Scoop half of the buttercream into a separate bowl. Add 2-3 drops of pink dye to one. Stir with a spoon until the dye is evenly distributed.
- Pipe each cupcake with the pink buttercream in a rosette pattern. Then, switch to the white when the pink is almost through to get a nice swirl on some of the cakes. Google will do a far better job showing you the technique than I would.
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