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Red Rose Cupcakes

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Red Rose Cupcakes are wonderful to serve for Valentine’s Day or really anytime romance is the theme. They’re also a nice treat for chocolate lovers who also happen to love roses. Or am I the only one?

Whether you’re making these for your significant other, a party, or sharing them with friends, these simple but bold cupcakes will make a passionate statement, just like these Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes.

chocolate cupcakes decorated with red frosting to look like roses and green frosting for the stems on a white table with more cupcakes and a pink and white cloth in the background
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See how elegant they are? Beautiful bold color, the smallest leaf details to distinguish the roses. And a yummy, moist chocolate cupcake beneath it all.

chocolate cupcakes decorated with red frosting to look like roses and green frosting for the stems on a white table with more cupcakes and a pink and white cloth in the background

How to Make Red Rose Cupcakes

One great thing about these cupcakes is that they don’t take years of cake decorating experience to create. You’ll get to use a couple of the “expert” tools. But don’t worry, they’re ones you won’t have trouble finding (you may have them already) and I’m going to share plenty of other ideas for getting more use out of them!

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Ingredients and Materials Needed

  • Chocolate cake mix + ingredients listed on box
  • 2 stick butter, softened
  • 4 cups icing sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon red gel food coloring
  • Green decorating frosting
  • Wilton tip #21
  • Wilton tip #101

I’ve linked to the individual Wilton tips above but it’s actually cheaper to buy the starter kit which comes with the start tip and a similar leaf tip.

chocolate cake mix in a metal mixing bowl, a tube of green decorating icing, yellow cupcake liners, red food coloring, cocoa powder, a stick of butter on a white plate next to decorating tips, all on a white table and a blue and white flowered linen

Directions

Step 1: Bake Cupcakes

Follow the instructions on the box to make the cupcakes.

chocolate cupcake batter in cupcake liners in a muffin tin next to red food coloring, baking cocoa, green icing, and butter on a white plate, all on a blue and white flowered linen

Step 2: Make Frosting

Next, combine the butter, sugar, cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon of milk in a large bowl.

sugar and cocoa powder in a metal mixing bowl, next to two metal beaters, red food coloring and green icing on a blue and white flowered linen on a white counter

Beat on low to break up the butter then gradually increase the speed to high. Add more milk if you need it (you may not) to reach a creamy consistency. Your frosting should form semi-stiff peaks when it’s reached the right consistency.

Add red gel food coloring to the frosting and beat until it’s well combined and the frosting is rose red.

red frosting in a metal mixing bowl with metal mixers in it next to green decorating icing  and decorating tips on a blue and white flowered linen on a white counter

Step 3: Frost Cupcakes

Add the buttercream to a piping bag with Wilton tip #21 attached.

In the center of each cupcake, pipe a small circle (about 1/2 an inch wide). Then, outside the center circle, pipe five more similar-sized circles around the edge of each cupcake.

chocolate cupcakes, one starting to be topped with red frosting to look like roses, next to a bag of red frosting on a wire rack on a blue and white flowered linen on a white counter

Step 4: Add Stems

Now we just need to add the green stems to our flowers.

Attach Wilton tip #101 to the green frosting tube. Pipe 3 to 4 leaves onto each cupcake in between circles.

chocolate cupcakes decorated with red frosting to look like roses and green frosting for the stems on a wire rack next to a tube of frosting with a blue linen with white flowers underneath them

That’s it! Your red rose cupcakes are ready to gift or serve!

an overhead view of chocolate cupcakes decorated with red frosting to look like roses and green frosting for the stems on a white table with more cupcakes and a pink and white cloth in the background
Save the Recipe

📋 Recipe

Red Rose Cupcakes

Corinne Schmitt
5 from 11 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Cupcakes, Dessert
Servings 24
Calories 158 kcal

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Equipment

  • Wilton tip #21
  • Wilton tip #101

Ingredients
  

  • 1 box Chocolate cake mix plus items listed on box to make cupcakes
  • 2 sticks butter softened
  • 4 cups icing sugar sifted
  • 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoon milk add 1 tablespoon at a time
  • 1 teaspoon red gel food coloring
  • Green decorating frosting

Instructions
 

  • Prepare chocolate cupcakes according to directions. Allow to cool completely before decorating.
  • In a large bowl, beat together butter, icing sugar, cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon milk. Start on low and gradually increase to high. Add more milk one tablespoon at a time (you may not need to) until ingredients are smooth and well combined. The buttercream should form semi-stiff peaks.
  • Add red gel food coloring and beat with electric mixer until the color is completely incorporated into the frosting.
  • Scoop buttercream into a piping bag with Wilton tip #21 attached.
  • Start out by piping out one circle on the center of each cupcake, about ½ an inch in diameter.
  • To complete the cupcakes, pipe out 5 more flower/rose circles around the center flower.
  • Attach Wilton tip #101 on green decorating frosting. Pipe out 3-4 leaves on each cupcake.
  • Serve!

Nutrition

Calories: 158kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 150mgPotassium: 68mgFiber: 1gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 3IUCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Other Great Cupcake Recipes

I promised that I wouldn’t let your cake decorating supplies go to waste. If you want to get more use out of your Wilton tips, try one of these other cupcake recipes.

If you love this easy cupcake decorating idea, pin this to your favorite cupcake decorating ideas board on Pinterest so you can find it quick later!

chocolate cupcakes decorated with red frosting to look like roses and green frosting for the stems on a white table with more cupcakes and a pink and white cloth in the background with title text reading Red Rose Cupcakes

 

5 from 11 votes (11 ratings without comment)

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