I whipped these cupcakes up for my friend Butler's 40th birthday. A moist chocolate cake with rose accents,
topped with rose petal jam and chocolate ganache! This makes a dozen.
Dry Ingredients:
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1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
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1 cup unbleached granulated sugar
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1/3 cup cocoa powder (i like dutch processed)
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1 teaspoon baking soda
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1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
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2/3 cup cold water
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1/3 cup rose water (cooking grade, from an Indian or Middle Eastern grocer)
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1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
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1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
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1/4 teaspoon rose extract (from an indian grocer). Don't use more than this because, even though it smells great, it gets bitter in larger quantities.
For Topping the Cupcakes:
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1/3 cup rose petal jam (I use the Middle Eastern Variety, it is thick and sticky and jammy, as opposed to a clear jelly.)
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6 ounces chocolate chips
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a splash of non-dairy milk
What You Do:
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Place twelve cupcake liners in your pan(s).
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Mix together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.
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Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat well until smooth (I use my kitchenaid stand mixer).
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Divide the batter evenly for twelve cupcakes. I like to use a small icecream scoop for this job.
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Check for done after 19 minutes with a toothpick, they should come clean when you poke it into the very center of your largest cupcake. (These take up to 25 minutes in my oven.)
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Let cool ten minutes, remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Once they're mostly cool, spread the top of each cupcake with a generous amount of rose petal jam. Don't be stingy, this is the tastiest part of the cupcake.
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Prepare the ganache.
Preparing the Ganache:
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Place a few inches of water in a small saucepan over medium high heat.
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Place a heat resistent bowl on top of the saucepan. This serves as a double boiler.
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Add the chocolate chips and a good splash of non-dairy milk to the bowl (a little less than 1/4 cup should do it)
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When the chocolate chips begin to melt, stir constantly. They will break down a bit, but if you keep stirring, the chocolate
will incorporate into the milk, change color slightly and become smooth.
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Remove from heat and let cool about five minutes.
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Carefully dip each cupcake into the ganache to coat the top.
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Once you've coated each cupcake, place them in the fridge to set or if you're in a hurry, put them in the freezer for a few minutes.
