When originally publishing this fun recipe for Rose-Cream Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Candied Rose Petals I was a fairly new blogger. The gift of ‘context’ or backstory eluded me so many of my first recipes were shared straight up with succinct forwards such as ‘these cupcakes are great, you should make them’ before diving into the recipe. I’m sure readers were struck with the terse invitation!
This recipe in particular was created as a special surprise for my daughter’s birthday who would have been about 11 at the time. We had stumbled upon some rose extract at a cooking store and we were both enchanted at the idea of making food whose taste was how roses smell! Wanting to do something more exciting than merely flavoring the cupcakes or the frosting, I decided to fill the cupcakes with a rose-flavored buttercream to add a surprise in the middle which no one would guess until having a bite!
They turned out beautifully, the rose-cream nestled in simple vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting sprinkled with Candied Rose Petals (another fun project). I served the cupcakes with Rose Vanilla Ice Cream with Candied Rose Petals which everyone loved. I realize it probably sounds like rose-flavored overload, but the whimsy of using rose extract got the better of me and I gave into the whimsy of it all. Fortunately I realized early on that a little goes a long way in terms of using the extract for flavoring, and though I served up many rose-flavored treats, they were not overwhelmingly intense as they can be if too much flavoring is used.
What we felt would probably become a ‘one hit wonder’ in terms of rose flavoring turned out to be a coveted flavor which appears through Boulder Locavore recipes. One never knows were a simple idea will lead and what flavors one will grow to love!
These pretty cupcakes reveal a big surprise with delicate rose-flavored pink filling! The unexpected find makes them truly special and unique. The amount of rose extract is very small, but produces a big flavor and gives these cupcakes a soft rose taste. There are multiple methods to fill cupcakes and after some experimentation this method worked perfectly to preserve the integrity of the cupcake and allow a ‘just right’ amount of filling.
Rose Cream filled Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 batch of Vanilla Cupcakes (unfrosted)
- 1 batch Frosting of your choice
- Decoration: Candied Rose Petals
Ingredients for Rose-Cream filling:
- ½ bag of Confectioner's Sugar
- ¼ cup Milk , room temperature
- 1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ teaspoon Rose Extract (not rose water)
- 1 stick of Unsalted Butter , room temperature
- ¼ cup Shortening , room temperature
- Red food coloring (I use India Tree dyes which are food based, so the red is colored from beets)
Instructions
Instructions for Rose-Cream filling:
- In a mixer using the whisk attachment, combine powdered sugar, milk, salt, vanilla and rose extracts. Beat until smoothly combined.
- Slice the butter into half inch thick slices and add separately to the mixture; beating at medium speed to fully combine.
- Add shortening and whip on high until the buttercream is fully combined and whipped to double its original volume (approximately 15 minutes). You will see the texture change. Add food coloring drop by drop while mixing to achieve the color you desire.
Filling the cupcakes:
- With a sharp knife, cut a finger-width hole in the middle of the cupcake, with a depth of 3/4 of the cupcake's height (e.g. do not cut to the bottom of the cupcake).
- Pipe the rose-cream into the hole, filling to be flush with the top of the cupcake.
- Frost and decorate as you choose.
- When you bite into the cupcake it will look like this!
Nutrition
penny aka jeroxie says
pretty! love the filling and the sprinkles. 🙂
Christina of Form V Artisan says
Great post!!
Boulder Locavore says
Hi All! Sorry to be 'tardy for the party' on responding to comments.
Cardamom Hills: Both companies DO ship internationally. Chef's Catalog (batter dispenser) ships to far more countries. Unsure of shipping charges.
Susan: In defense of Stonewall Kitchen (and I totally agree with Carolyn on their jams), some of their other gluten free mixes were fine. This one just failed. Good company though. Thank you as well for your kind comments on my photography!
Our Eyes Eat First: Thanks for the invite to come read your recipe! Looks great!
Aroma Y Cocina: I always love your comments. I learn so much. Love to hear how things are different where you are.
Eizel: Thank you so much for the award! You are too kind.
Laurie: Thank you! It seemed a simple repurposing but save my pan and cupcake papers from being coated with batter!
Lynn: NO! Rose extract and rose water are NOT the same. Rose extract is far more concentrated.
Becky: LOVE the idea of the bridal shower! It's a beautiful soft flavor. Still a bit mind bending to eat something that tastes like something smells!
Christie: Totally understand what you are going through. Happy to help or compare notes. Feel free to email me (see blog sidebar for Email option).
Christie Laffin, RD, LD says
Thanksfor sharing. Just started on a gluten free because my 18year old has stomach issues and as a Registered Dietitian, I went to gluten free. She wants sweet…so this should do the trick! Great! I will link your blog on mine. http://foodondisplay.blogspot.com/
Pauline says
Love the Rose flavour at the moment even in meringues. Yes these look great and I can taste them, I wish 🙂
Lizzy says
I am buying that decorating kit!!! Thanks for the recommendation. First, you get me hooked on homemade ice cream, now I think it will be filled cupcakes…yours are picture perfect!
Becky says
Beautiful Cupcakes and GF. these would be perfect for a Bridal Shower. Amazing photos as always!
Firefly says
They look so good and yummy! Love the tips 🙂
Laurie Alves says
Awesome Tips!!! Great Post! Batter dispenser is definitely Genius!!!
Lisa @ Tarte du Jour says
Wow gluten free never looked so good! I love the “America's Test Kitchen” style taste testing and rating. Awesome job! I've never tried rose extract and now I have a new project!
Lynn @ I'll Have What She's Having says
Gorgeous pictures!
Is rose extract the same as rose water?
Lindsey @ Trail to Train says
Great stuff thanks for doing all of the research! I LOVE rose extract! There is a great mediterranean market near me that sells it and I scooped it up one day on a whim (because I MUST own every flavored extract imaginable right?)
P.S. I often stop at Stonewall Ktichen when I'm in Maine and I've had mixed results; some stuff I love, some I know I could do much better on mine. Such is life!
Eizel says
Have award you the Stylish Blogger Award because you are a rocking blogger 🙂
http://www.eizels.com/2011/03/stylish-blogger-award-1-and-2.html
Carolyn says
The rose extract sounds delightful. I love this comparison of GF cake mixes too. Stonewall Kitchen does great jams and jellies, but you've sold me on the Pamela's instead for cake mix!
Aroma y Cocina says
They look wonderful. The only thing difficult, will be to get this rose extract. Where I live it is not traditional that women makes so much cakes. They always buy at the baker's, so it is so difficult that supermarkets, have such a lot of those assortements as you show us in your photos. I will have to visit Madrid, Valencia or Barcelona to get them. Other's go to visit museums: I go to buy useful things and ingredients for my ” cooking experiments”.
Thanks for sharing!
Wilde in the Kitchen says
Great photos, I love the images of the split open cupcakes. Gotta love a filled cupcake, but I'm a frosting junkie…
pickyeaterblog says
What beautiful cupcakes! The rose filling is so creative – love it! 🙂
Roxan says
OH MY! These look so good! Thank you so much for posting this. There is a sur la table right next to my yoga studio so I am totally going to go there and pick up my own rose extract. Rose muffins sound so heavenly.
adventuresomekitchen says
Your post is so timely! I'm teaching a gf cupcake/muffin class tomorrow night at a local grocer. I only wish I had rose extract! I too have found Pamela's to be the best GF mix on the market, and if I need a mix, I use hers. In fact I have never worked on a brownie from scratch because the Pamela's are so good. And, you're right- no one ever knows they are GF! Thanks for the tip about the India Tree food coloring. I tried using raspberry juice for a cupcake I'm working on and was sadly disappointed.. I'll look for them. Have a great day!
Our Eyes Eat First says
just great recipe and photos! I just recently did a rose flavored cake truffle dipped in white chocolate at OurEyesEatFirst.blogspot.com
Susan says
… ooops! Kitchen! Why do I always make that mistake in their name … seriously!?!
Susan says
Thanks for an excellent post! Loved the scope of it … there is such a wide discrepancy in GF products. It's always good to see reviews that help sort out the good, bad, and ugly … I am sad that Stonewall Farms' product fell down, though, as that is one of New England's 'local' products. Guess they need to work on their line. Your cupcakes look wonderful! I was wishing I could sample one … the rose cream filling looks so interesting! I also notice that your photography is just gorgeous! Have you been changing up your methods?
Chef Dennis says
I have to get some of that rose extract, you make everything sound so good!! I love that pink filling inside the cupcakes, my girls would absolutely love them, I have to try it!!
Who would ever know those were gluten free!!
This looks like a top 9 to me!
Cheers
Dennis
Cardamom Hills says
first the photos are amazzzzzing gorgeous!!! second, i love the cupcakes and the frosting..looks absolutely soft and purrrrfect =) and last but never the least…i literally want both those cool gadgets you posted in there!!! Are they available online for international shipping? any idea? =)
claudia lamascolo says
awesome demo here on the cakes, love the pictures, and the filling looks yumm!