Our loved-up baking expert, Val Stones, met her husband as a teenager when they climbed out of a school window together. Now the former Great British Bake Off star loves to treat her soulmate with delicious bakes – like these yummy Valentine’s red velvet cupcakes.
Serving suggestions and timings:
- Makes 24
- Preparation time: 30 minutes
- Baking time: 20 minutes
- Assembly time: 20 minutes
I adore making cupcakes for my loved ones, and these are really special. The recipe can also make a delightful three-tiered cake.
There are two important ingredients here: rose syrup and rose petal jam, which turn a simple cupcake into a floral fantasy.
Ingredients:
- 6 eggs
- 200g caster sugar
- 200g soft margarine
- 150g self-raising flour
- 50g cocoa powder
- 6g baking powder
- A pinch of salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp Christmas red colour paste (liquid colour won’t give the same depth)
- 600g icing sugar
- 200g unsalted butter
- 50g cream cheese
- 2 tbsp rose syrup/water
- A few drops of pink food gel
- 3 tbsp rose petal jam
- Gold food spray
- Your own choice of toppings
Method:
To make the cakes
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan, 180-190°C, 350-375°F, gas 4-5
- Grease and line two cupcake baking trays
- Place the eggs, sugar and margarine in a mixing bowl. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, then beat until fully combined
- Add the vanilla extract and food colouring, then beat again until the colour is evenly distributed
- Place 40g of mixture in each cupcake case and bake for 20 minutes, checking after 18 minutes. You’ll know the cakes are ready if you listen to them and they only make the odd sizzle!
- Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely
To make the buttercream filling
- Place the butter and cream cheese in a bowl and beat until combined. Add the icing sugar a dessert spoon at a time and continue to beat
- Add the rose syrup or water and the last of the icing sugar and continue to beat for at least five minutes. You should have a pink buttercream that is light, fluffy and stands in peaks – add extra colour/icing sugar as required
- Place one third of the buttercream into another bowl and stir in the three tablespoons of rose petal jam
- With a sharp knife, cut out the top of each cupcake to hollow out the middle. Fill each with a dessert spoon of the rose petal jam buttercream. Gently press the ‘lid’ back on
- Fit a piping nozzle onto a piping bag and half-fill it with buttercream
- Pipe the icing onto the top of each cupcake in a circular motion to create a swirl from the outer edge into the centre
- Add your choice of topping to each cupcake – you may even want to add some gold spray to make your cupcakes sparkle
If Val’s beautiful bake has inspired you, browse her range of recipes. Treat your loved ones to Val’s iconic herby sausage rolls (which landed her a spot on 2016’s Great British Bake Off!) or prepare for Mother’s Day with a carrot and pineapple cake.
