Raspberry-Rose Cupcakes

Here we are… back with the Cupcake Challenge I put on myself back in January. You know, the one where I make all the cupcakes in the January/February issue of Food Network Magazine 😀.

I realized the other day that we’re at the end of the month, I still haven’t made the May cupcake, and this weekend is so busy that I won’t have time until June if I don’t sit down and make them… RIGHT NOW!!

The day that I was going to make these (the day before the day before) I didn’t have any sour cream. I asked hubby to pick me up some on the way home. When he got home we got so busy that I wasn’t able to make them that night.. So I made them the next morning.

To say I wasn’t really excited about these cupcakes is a little bit of an understatement. I’m not the biggest fan of raspberries. They’re just okay in my book. Then Rose Water. What in the heck is rose water and where do you find it?

Rose Water comes in a jar similar to Vanilla. In fact, when you find it, it is in the baking aisle next to the vanilla, but around here anyway no store has any. I went on the hunt for Rose water back in like February because I’d never heard of it. Finally in March my aunt was in town and wanted to go to Springfield. While we were in Springfield we went to a whole market food store and that’s where we found it. AC bought it for me and then couldn’t wait to see what I thought of these cupcakes.

The Rose Water was extremely fragrant. Almost over overpoweringly. Is that a word? Yes, yes it is. When I opened the bottle to smell it, it reminded me of smelling roses, not hubby. He thought it stunk… lol. Then on top of the rose water, the raspberries. I’m not really sure why I’m not a big fan… but there are other fruits I prefer better.

Lastly, we were supposed to split the cupcakes open with a paring knife and place some of the rose water/raspberries in the middle. This seemed difficult. I didn’t have much luck. Some of the mixture that went in the middle of the cupcakes also went into the icing. While it was a little over powering… it wasn’t nearly as bad. I thought the frosting was pretty good, that is until it sat for a while. The more it sat, the stronger the rose water got.

Let’s say the cupcake batter was excellent. It was a good solid vanilla cupcake recipe. From there I wasn’t totally sold.

Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the melted butter, sugar, sour cream, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Add the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds of the way. Bake until the tops of the cupcakes are golden and spring back when gently pressed, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine the raspberries, 1 cup water and the sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Whisk the cornstarch, rosewater and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Add to the raspberries and continue to cook, stirring, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids with a rubber spatula. Let cool, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the frosting: Put the sugar and egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer; set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water). Whisk until the mixture is warm and the sugar dissolves, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer; beat with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until stiff glossy peaks form, 6 to 8 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium-high speed, beat in the butter a few pieces at a time, making sure the pieces are incorporated before adding more. (It¿s OK if the frosting looks curdled¿it will smooth out as you beat.) Once all the butter is added, continue beating until the frosting is smooth, 1 to 2 more minutes. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of the raspberry filling and the rosewater and beat until thick and smooth.

With a paring knife, cut a 3/4-inch-deep slit across the top of each cupcake, nearly edge to edge; gently squeeze the sides of the cupcake so the slit opens. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the raspberry filling into each cupcake. Let stand 5 minutes, then spoon the remaining filling into the cupcakes. Spread the frosting on the cupcakes. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.