Lychee Rose Cupcakes

Trying to make something for Alvin's birthday as usual. Decided to try making Lychee Rose Cupcakes from Evan's blog. Looks nice, yummy and special. How often do you hear before Lychee + Rose = cupcake?

(I've made cream cheese frosting for half the cupcakes and left it in the fridge. No one eats it :( 没人欣赏。。)

I found that lychee and rose is a very good combination. The combination gives out a different scent different from the usual buttery kind. Not bad what...

Taken from here

1.5 cups self raising flour
1 cup plain flour
1/4 cup ground almonds
250g butter, softened
2 cups sugar (i only used 1.5 cups)
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
60ml rose syrup water (2 parts water to 1 part syrup)
1 tsp rosewater essence
24 pcs canned lychees
directions :
1. combine flours and ground almonds in a bowl. in another bowl, beat butter & sugar until light and fluffy, then add in eggs one at a time and whisk until combined.
2. add in flours in 3 additions, alternating between milk and rose syrup water. do not overmix. fold in batter until just combined.
3. spoon 1/2 mixture into cupcake liners, top with a lychee and pour in another 1/2 batter (total height should come up to 3/4 of liner).
4. bake in preheated oven of 170C for 20 mins or until skewer inserted comes out clean.
* for the raspberry cream cheese frosting, i combined cream cheese, butter, raspberry puree & sifted icing sugar according to taste. i don't hv a recipe for it.

Makes 25

For the frosting, I just roughly combined cream cheese and butter in equal portions and then add some raspberry jam and icing sugar according to one's taste.