Time for the most important part of the meal: dessert! Cupcakes are the perfect teatime dessert, and the best thing about these are their versatility. Any cake flavor will do! I opted for sour cherry cupcakes, taking my cue from the Queen of Hearts’ tarts. Since actual sour cherries are out of season at the moment, I soaked some dark sweet cherries in a mix of lemon juice, cherry juice, and a bit of sugar. After soaking the cherries, I drizzled the leftover juice on top of the white rose cupcakes, making for perfect “painted roses”!

P.S. If you don’t have a lot of time, you can bake and frost the cupcakes the day before you need them. Then you just need to drizzle the lemon-cherry juice over them when you’re ready to serve.

The Queen of Hearts’ Painted Rose Cupcakes

“A large rose-tree stood near the entrance of the garden: the roses growing on it were white, but there were three gardeners at it, busily painting them red. Alice thought this a very curious thing…
‘Would you tell me, please,’ Alice said a little timidly, ‘why are you painting those roses?’
Five and Seven said nothing, but looked at Two. Two began in a low voice,
‘Why, the fact is, you see, Miss, this here ought to have been a red rose-tree, and we put a white one in by mistake; and, if the Queen was to find out, we should all have our heads cut off, you know!’ ”
–Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

INGREDIENTS:

For the Cupcakes (I used this chocolate cake recipe, then customized it from there)

• 3/4 cup butter
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 bag frozen dark sweet cherries (or sour cherries, if you got ’em!)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup cherry juice (from the bag of cherries)
• 1 tsp sugar

For the Frosting (original recipe can be found here)

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 lb powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• extra milk to achieve best consistency, if necessary

 

Makes 2 dozen cupcakes

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the Cupcakes

1. Take the eggs and butter out of the fridge and let them sit out for a bit while you start the process.
2. Preheat oven to 350° and place cupcake wrappers in two muffin tins.
3. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
4. Beat butter in a large mixing bowl just until smooth. Add sugar 1/4 cup at a time, beating after each addition until combined. Then add the eggs one at a time, also beating after each addition.
5. Add the vanilla. Then, keeping the beater running, alternate adding flour mixture and milk.
6. Resist the urge to eat all the delicious batter! Be strong!
   
7. Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full.
8. Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes.
9. Allow to cool 30-45 minutes.
10. While you wait, mix lemon juice, cherry juice, and sugar in a medium bowl. Pour cherries into the bowl and allow them to soak for 30 minutes.
11. Once the cupcakes have cooled, scoop out a portion from the center of each cupcake with a melon baller.
    
12. Pop two or three cherries in the center of each cupcake. Now you’re ready for the frosting!

For the Frosting

1. In another large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add vanilla and run the beater a few seconds more.
2. Alternate adding powdered sugar and milk, beating well after each addition, until you reach spreading consistency.
3. Fill a frosting bag and pipe roses onto the cooled cupcakes. Which frosting tip you use will be determined by which rose-making technique you employ. I used the third technique shown here by the lovely lady at Serious Cakes, but there are LOADS of different tutorials out there. Just use whatever method you like best. 🙂
4. After the roses are complete, give the frosting about 15 minutes to harden.
5. For a little variety, you can change up the decorations on a few of them. I got bored while waiting for the frosting to harden, so I made some Unbirthday Cakes and Eat Me Cakes! 🙂
6. Dip the tip of a paper towel in the leftover lemon-cherry juice and squeeze drops of it onto the cupcakes to achieve a “painted” look. If you want it more evenly coated, you can turn the cupcake at an angle and rotate it slowly over the bowl.
   
7. Serve immediately, since the juice can make the frosting go a little soft over time. Enjoy while reading all about the playing card gardeners in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland! 🙂
   

 

 

 

 

Here’s the Yummly Printable!

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