Rose Cupcakes

I haven't made cupcakes for a few weeks now so decided to have a go at some and chose the Rose flavoured ones as they are simple to make and I have all the ingredients to hand. The rose flavouring comes from rosewater, which I found at our local Waitrose and used it in another recipe, a raspberry and rose tart I made back in January for our daughter's naming ceremony.

The recipe is like all the other simple flavoured ones, the usual ingredients but the rosewater gets mixed with the milk before being added to the crumb like dry ingredients. Easy enough and so into the cases the batter went. I managed to get a good 16 cupcakes from this batch, all of fairly equal proportions. They then go into the oven for 20 minutes. I always go with the longest time in the oven on any recipe, just to make sure.

The smell coming from the kitchen whilst these were cooking was wonderful. It smelt like a summer's day in the garden, which contrasted with the gloomy and chilly weather that was actually outside on this June day. These cupcakes, along with the jasmine and violet variations would go well at a BBQ, they seem to be the essence of summer, in cake form of course.

Having baked the cakes, they cooled on the side for a few hours whilst we were at the parent's for the birthday celebrations with the strawberries and cream cheesecake. On our return I whipped up the frosting for the cupcakes, using half the quantity stated as usual and set about spooning an equal amount of icing into the top of each cake. I got about 8 or so in when I realised I was going to colour the icing pink slightly, as they are in the cook book and to make them look a little less plain, considering I didn't have time to order in any of the candied rose petals the bakery use to finish theirs off.

Using my palette knife I scrapped the cupcakes off, icing back in the bowl and added a little red colouring, a few drops at a time, to get the right shade of pink I wanted. Off to icing them again, covering the little bit of white frosting that got left behind on the cupcakes as I went. I did debate about whether to make some little flowers out of rolled fondant to go onto the top of the cakes, something I thought would show off my skills and make them look even more irresistible but then decided it was too much work I was making for myself unnecessarily. The slight pink hue to the icing looked pretty enough as it was any way.

All frosted it was time for a well deserved cup of tea and, of course, a cupcake to accompany it. The icing did smell a little strong when I was finishing the cupcakes and I wondered if it would be a little overpowering come tasting time. It was not though, the icing wasn't as strong as expected and it complimented the delicate flavour of the sponge well. Everyone who has tried a Rose cupcake seems to like them, its not a taste most have tried or are against trying either. These are a lovely unusual flavour for a cupcake and I am very much looking forward to trying the two variations of this recipe now.