Rose and White Chocolate Cupcakes

WELCOME TO 2015! 2014 was indeed full of "Ups and Downs" and there was not a single dull moment for me and for the world. Here, I would like to wish everyone peace, joy and good health.

Certainly those are the most basic things in life. But, with all the past year's happenings, many of us are reminded (sometimes rather brutally) how important these are to us. I can go on and on about how we must treasure our loved ones and that we mustn't take things for granted... But this is not what I am going to focus on...

I know the post title is on a certain cupcake, and I haven't even said a word on it, but, I've missed talking my mind out on this space. So, I just want to take some time to just talk... 

These are so pretty

Being a positive person and a life enthusiast, I have been quite paranoid in the past year (actually ever since I became a mom 4 years ago), which is unusual for me. I recently read something very meaningful about "worrying" and that worrying does not make the things or persons you worry about any safer or happier. Oh my God, that gave me an instant comfort! :) 

This year, I promised myself to be less "paralyzed" by all this paranoia about my kids, about all the "what if(s)" in life. I will "do" more and not just "think" of what I want to do. It is really this simple and I believe good things will come our way. 

Without further ado, let me start the year with a new flavor. I have not tried this before, and I am pleasantly surprised by this delicate Rose flavored cupcakes. It's very refreshing and a nice change from the classic vanilla. 

Can you spot the odd one out?

The inspiration came from a macaron recipe that I saw on YouTube. I bought a bottle of Natural Rose Water, but didn't get to making the French cookies. 

Today, when I was browsing through one of the many, many recipe books at home (You won't believe how many recipe books that I still have in the box from the last book sales in the end of 2013. This year I succeeded in avoided the 24-hour year end Book sales!), I stumbled across a recipe for White Chocolate and Rose Cupcakes and the picture of the sugared Rose petals was so sweet. I am a total sucker for pink stuffs lately that the soft pink petals got me hooked to that page instantly. 

The ingredients were very simple and since I had that bottle of Rose Water, these lovelies were whipped up rather quickly. 

The subtle and delicate Rose-infused cupcakes were a hit! While there are some adjustments that I will be making to make the cupcakes even more moist the next time, this maiden attempt was relatively a success. :) 

The cake was soft and tender but a tad too sweet for me. I might use my Favorite Vanilla Cupcake recipe next time and replace the flavor with rose instead of vanilla. Also, a point to note for myself is to use a higher quality white chocolate next time. I am sure the flavor will be much better. 

I also put the leftover Swiss Meringue Buttercream to good use by adding a teaspoon of the Rose water and pink gel coloring to it and giving it a good whip. The SMB was so light and the rose accent made it even more elegant. Much practice is still needed with my piping skills, but I loved how the 2-toned rosette turned out. These must be my prettiest cupcakes to date. To that, I added dried Rose buds and it really elevated the "classiness". Such a lovely treat! 

These Rose cupcakes will definitely be making a more regular appearance in my house from now on. The delicate flavor made the cupcakes somewhat less heavy compared to the butter vanilla cupcakes and hence a less guilty treat. Try it out y"all!