• SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER ➝
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter

The Cake Blog

  • HOME
  • RECIPES
  • TUTORIALS
    • DIY PROJECTS
    • BAKING TIPS
  • HOLIDAYS
    • CHRISTMAS
    • VALENTINE’S DAY
    • ST. PATRICK’S DAY
    • EASTER
    • MOTHER’S DAY
    • GRADUATION
    • FATHER’S DAY
    • FOURTH OF JULY
    • SUMMER FUN
    • FALL
    • HALLOWEEN
  • INSPIRATION
    • CAKES
      • WEDDING CAKES
      • BIRTHDAY CAKES
      • BABY SHOWER CAKES
    • BAKERY TOURS
    • BIRTHDAY PARTIES
    • BABY SHOWERS
    • BRIDAL SHOWERS
    • REAL WEDDINGS
    • DESSERT TABLES
  • ABOUT
    • MEET THE EDITOR
    • MEET THE CONTRIBUTORS
    • CONTACT

Ombre Ruffle Cupcakes

February 7, 2012 by Lauren Kapeluck

Our cupcake contributor, Lauren Kapeluck of Crave. Indulge. Satisfy., is sharing a Valentine’s recipe to make you swoon…

February is a month full of sugar, love, and all things pink and red!  When I think of sweets the first thing that comes to mind is Red Velvet cake, followed closely by chocolate.  So with Valentine’s Day quickly approaching what better way to show someone you love them than with a batch of Red Velvet Cupcakes frosted with a decadent White Chocolate Icing! I know you may be thinking that red velvet cake is traditionally topped with a cream cheese frosting, but let me just say that the white chocolate icing really pairs nicely with the red velvet cake and makes for an extra sweet Valentine treat!

If you’ve been checking out all the latest cake decorating trends and are a frequent follower of  The Cake Blog then you know that the ombre technique is pretty popular right now!  After ooing and awwwing over ombre cakes for the past few months, I have been dying to use this technique!  I couldn’t think of a time more perfect than the month of love to pull out the pink and red food coloring and give it my best try at decorating with gradients with these Ombre Ruffle Cupcakes!

Ombre Ruffle Cupcakes | by Lauren Kapeluck for TheCakeBlog.com

Although all these shades of pink and red may look a little intimidating when it comes to decorating, this method could not be any simpler.  It just requires cleaning up a few extra bowls and spatulas after the decorating is done!  But I say a little more mess was definitely worth it with these sweet cupcakes.

Ombre Ruffle Cupcakes | by Lauren Kapeluck for TheCakeBlog.com

I love the ruffled and frilly appearance of these cupcakes, it reminds me of lace and doilies.  To recreate this look all you need are four Wilton #104 piping tips, piping bags and pink and red coloring which you can find at your local craft store.  It seriously requires more effort to mix your shades of icing than it does to decorate the cupcakes!  Just squeeze the piping bag and let the decorating tip do all the fancy work for you.

Ombre Ruffle Cupcakes | by Lauren Kapeluck for TheCakeBlog.com

You can pipe horizontal lines across the cupcake to create the ruffled look from light to dark.  Or you can pipe around in a circle from the outside of the cupcake to the inside to create a layered flower.

Ombre Ruffle Cupcakes | by Lauren Kapeluck for TheCakeBlog.com

Red Velvet with White Chocolate Cupcakes
recipe by Lauren Kapeluck
(makes 24 cupcakes)

For the cake:

3 cups cake flour
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp vinegar
2 Tbsp red food coloring
1 cup buttermilk

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with cupcake liners.
  2. In medium bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. In bowl of stand mixer combine sugar and vegetable oil and beat until combined.
  4. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
  5. Add vanilla, vinegar and food coloring and mix well.
  6. Gradually add in flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, starting and ending with flour. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.
  7. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter.
  8. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  9. Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to finish cooling.
  10. Once cupcakes are completely cool frost with White Chocolate icing.

For the icing:
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
8 oz good quality white chocolate, melted (I used Lindt)
5 cups confectioner’s sugar
4 Tbsp heavy cream

  1. In bowl of stand mixer beat butter until creamy.
  2. Add vanilla and mix well.
  3. Heat chocolate in microwave safe bowl for 30 second intervals stirring in between until melted.  Approximately 2 minutes.
  4. Gradually add in confectioner’s sugar one cup at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
  5. Add heavy cream 1 Tbsp at a time as needed until reach desired consistency.

To Decorate:
Wilton Pink Coloring
Wilton No Taste Red Coloring
Wilton Tip 104
Piping Bags

  1. Divide icing into 4 separate bowls of equal portions. (Approx 1 1/2 cups each)
  2. Tint 3 bowls with Wilton Pink coloring, creating a pale, medium, and darker shade of pink.
  3. Tint 1 bowl with Wilton No Taste Red coloring.
  4. Place icing in piping bags fitted with tip 104.
  5. To create the ruffle look:  Start with the lightest shade of pink. Hold the piping bag so the narrow part of the tip is facing towards you and gently squeeze in a slight back and forth motion as you go across the bottom of the cupcake to create a ruffle. Make 2 rows of ruffles using the lightest pink. Repeating the same technique, make two rows of ruffles using the medium pink, dark pink and red icing until your entire cupcake is covered.
  6. To create the flower:  Start with the lightest shade of pink. Hold the piping bag so the narrow part of the tip is facing the outside edge of your cupcake and gently squeeze the icing out of the bag in a ruffle pattern going in a circle while turning the base of the cupcake with your other hand. Repeat the same technique to create the inner ruffled circles of the flower with the medium pink, dark pink and red icing.

I hope you enjoy this delicious Red Velvet and White Chocolate cupcake recipe! And I hope you have even more fun decorating with ombre ruffles!  XOXOXO

February 7, 2012 by Lauren Kapeluck

Lauren Kapeluck , CONTRIBUTOR

Lauren is a monthly contributor for The Cake Blog. She is a self-taught baker and lover of all things sugar. Read more about Lauren on her bio page.

connect with Lauren :

Make the most of citrus season with one of these cake recipes!

« DIY Chocolate Kiss Cupcakes
Sweet Valentine’s Inspiration »

Comments

  1. Christina's Catchy Cakes says

    February 7, 2012 at 7:22 am

    Looks really great! I love ombre and your work is amazing!
    Christina

  2. Amiee says

    February 7, 2012 at 8:32 am

    I love these!! I think I’ve just found the perfect treat for my family this Valentine’s Day! Thank you!

  3. Rebecca says

    February 7, 2012 at 11:52 am

    Beautiful! Can’t wait to give these a try!!

  4. FestivePartyGirl says

    February 7, 2012 at 11:59 am

    These cupcakes look amazing. I am such a sucker for pink so these are right up my alley.

  5. Emily B says

    February 7, 2012 at 12:48 pm

    These are so pretty! What a great decorating idea, and the recipe sounds delicious. I can’t wait to try these out!

  6. Tamara @jemofthesouth says

    February 7, 2012 at 2:29 pm

    Lovely! I’m not a cake decorator, but I love the new ruffle cake trend. It may encourage me to try my hand at decorating.

  7. Canterbury Cakes says

    February 7, 2012 at 3:22 pm

    These are gorgeous, almost too beautiful to eat. Ombre is such a gorgeous effect and coupled with the ruffles it is so effective here. Thanks for sharing.

  8. Sarah says

    February 7, 2012 at 5:17 pm

    These are so very pretty!! I love the idea and I might actually be able to do this one… not as well as Lauren, but I’m going to try!

  9. Bertie's Bakery says

    February 8, 2012 at 12:00 am

    Just saw these, and am so impressed. What a cute new technique!

  10. Amber says

    February 9, 2012 at 8:15 am

    LOVE-ing these!

  11. Sweetsugarbelle says

    February 17, 2012 at 9:20 am

    In LOVE

  12. Beverley says

    March 20, 2012 at 3:22 pm

    So beautifully presented and a lovely cupcake , thank you for sharing and following you now on FB. Have a lovely day. xoxo

  13. Michelle says

    May 6, 2012 at 6:50 am

    What beautiful cupcakes! I would love to try this myself – could you please make a little clearer to me when/how to add the melted chocolate for the icing? Thanks in advance

  14. rma houston says

    June 8, 2012 at 11:35 am

    I want to express my appreciation for your kind-heartedness for folks that need guidance on the theme. Your personal commitment to getting the message all over came to be incredibly interesting and has usually empowered girls like me to arrive at their pursuits. Your insightful facts implies so much to me and far more to my colleagues. Thanks a lot; from each one of us.

  15. Gloria says

    November 8, 2012 at 2:37 pm

    HI! I would love to attempt these cupcakes this weekend for my daughter’s 1st birthday (strawberry theme). These ruffle cupcakes are gorgeous!! I have a question about the icing recipe-

    when do I add the chocolate into the recipe? In step 3 I melt it, do I add it in after I melt it? Or do you go to step 4, add the sugar into the creamed butter then add in the chocolate?

    THANKS IN ADVANCE!!

  16. Stork Baby Gift Baskets says

    January 14, 2013 at 10:51 am

    Just came across these searching for baby girl baby shower ideas and love these! So delicate, fancy and feminine!

  17. Cathy says

    February 6, 2014 at 8:42 am

    How wonderful it is. The right cupcake for Valentines Day…

  18. Louis Vuitton Discount says

    August 21, 2014 at 4:04 pm

    I just applied your blog site to be able to my blogroll, I wish you would give some thought to going through the same.
    Louis Vuitton Discount https://louisvuittonbags.kawerin.com/

SEARCH

The Cake Blog is a community of bakers and cake lovers. If you’re looking for beautiful cake inspiration, projects, tutorials and recipes -- you’ve come to the right place. MEET OUR TEAM ➝

LET’S CELEBRATE

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

BAKING RESOURCES

  • How To Build a Cake Like a Pro
  • Is Your Oven Accurate – And Why It Matters
  • Can You Overmix A Cake
  • Egg Free Baking

HOME   |   ADVERTISE   |   PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright © 2023 · The Cake Blog