The world over, October is the pink month. It is that time of year when women willingly give up their reservations towards the stereotype ‘pink is a woman’s colour’ and stand in solidarity with their families and friends for the cause of Breast Cancer Awareness.
There are a lot of us who think, if we just participate in walkathons and pinkathons, or join the Pink Ribbon campaign and attend fundraisers and charity events, there isn’t much we are doing to help those suffering from breast cancer. While it may seem like that, the truth lies in the fact that, the more people join hands to raise awareness about it, the weaker the social stigma around the disease gets. Also, we just might convince someone somewhere to do a self examination which can lead to early detection. After all knowledge shared is power multiplied; power to fight this disease and emerge victorious.
So this October (I know it’s already the end of the month, but this post has been a long time coming) I pledge my support to the cause of Breast Cancer Awareness with these Rose Ombre Cupcakes. They are pink to show those fighting the big fight that I’m with them; they are sweetly scented with rose to remind us all that life is sweet with all the good times and the bad, if we opt to look at it that way; and they taste simply decadent, something to sweeten up dull days and to make good days positively vibrant. 🙂
Here’s what you need.
For the cupcakes:Â
- Unsalted Butter – 150 g
- Granulated Sugar – 125 g
- Eggs – 2
- All Purpose Flour – 150 g
- Baking Powder – 1 tsp
- Rose Essence – 1 tsp
- A few drops of pink gel food colour
For the frosting:
- Unsalted Butter – 150 g
- Icing Sugar – 150 g
- A pinch of salt
- Rose Essence – 1 tsp
- A drop of pink gel food colour
Here’s how you make these pink beauties! 🙂
Step 1: In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with a hand mixer until creamy. Add the eggs and blend until the mixture is fluffy, about three minutes. Then add in the flour and baking powder and mix until well incorporated. Pour in the rose essence and give it a final mix.
Step 2: Preheat oven at 160 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. Divide the batter into three portions. In the first portion, add in a drop of pink food colour and mix until the batter turns a pale pink shade. In the second pour three drops of pink colour until the batter turns a few shades darker than the first portion. Do the same with the third portion, but add in a tad more colour to get a darker pink hue than the first two portions.
Step 3: Line a cupcake tray with paper liners. First pour in two teaspoons of the darkest hued batter, followed by two teaspoons of the lighter pink batter and two more of the palest pink batter. Repeat the same for the other cupcakes. Pop the tray into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.
Step 4: In the meantime, cream the butter, icing sugar, salt, rose essence and pink food colour in a bowl until the buttercream is creamy and luscious. Once the cupcakes are baked through, leave them out to cool. Then pipe the rose buttercream onto the cupcakes and they’re ready to eat.
And there you have it – these fragrant, gorgeous pink cupcakes waiting to be guzzled down!
I’ve only had rose cake once before at an overnight camp back when I was in 8th grade. But the unique flavour has remained with me till date, time and again sparking the curiosity that led me to try my hand at rose cupcakes. They are moist and melt-in-the-mouth. They are comfortingly sweet, and a bite taken will have you savouring a ‘rosey’ moment! Oh, the aroma is invigorating! 😀
So this Breast Cancer Awareness month (or any time of year, really), bring these splendid Rose Ombre Cupcakes to someone who’s fighting breast cancer or going through a hard time to show them that you care. Giving them a moment of joy and something to smile about is the least we can do!
If there’s anything you wish to learn about Breast Cancer and the awareness campaigns around it, here are a few links to websites you can visit:
Information on Breast Cancer –Â www.breastcancer.org
Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign by Estee Lauder Companies –Â www.bcacampaign.com
The Breast Cancer Charities of America – www.thebreastcancercharities.org
Pink Ribbon Story Foundation – www.pinkribbonstory.org
Breast Cancer in Men –Â www.cancer.org
The Foodscape 