Valentine Day special recipe: Rose petal cupcake

Ingredients
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 batch Grenadine frosting, recipe follows
Sugared rose petals, for garnish

Grenadine Frosting
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons grenadine

Sugared Rose Petals
24 pesticide free rose petals, pink, red, yellow or a combination
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 cup sugar

How to make
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until they're a pale yellow. Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth.

Next, measure the milk into a large glass measuring cup, and put it in a microwave set on high for 2 minutes. Add the scalded milk to the batter in a slow stream, beating until well combined. In the same measuring cup, melt the butter in the microwave. Add the melted butter to the batter along with the vanilla. Beat until well combined.

Spray the muffin tin with pan release and fill the compartments 3/4 of the way. Bake the cupcakes until the tops are golden and the cupcakes spring back to the touch, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

To assemble, put the frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe the frosting onto each cupcake in a circular pattern starting from the outside and working in, ending with a peak in the center. Place a rose petal standing up in the center of each cupcake.

Grenadine Frosting
Put the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a mixer and, using the paddle attachment on high, beat until the two are incorporated. Add the sugar and beat one minute more. Add the vanilla and grenadine and beat until a uniform pink. Refrigerate until ready to use. Let come to room temperature before using.

Sugared Rose Petals
Using a pastry brush, brush the petals with the egg whites and gently toss them in the sugar, making sure to coat both sides. Lay them on a cooling rack and allow them to dry overnight. Store in an airtight container.

Total Time: 13 hr 20 min
Prep Time: 1 hr
Inactive Time: 12 hr
Cook Time: 20 min
Servings: 24 petals