Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and cocoa powder three 6-inch cake pans.

Step 2

In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream your room temperature butter. Add in sugar and mix on medium until combined.

Step 3

Add eggs in one at a time and beat. Add vanilla extract.

Step 4

Add red food coloring and vinegar to the buttermilk.

Step 5

Sift in cocoa powder to the butter mixture.

Step 6

In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.

Step 7

Add ½ of the dry and ½ of the wet to the butter mixture until combined.

Step 8

Add the red buttermilk mixture and mix until combined.

Step 9

Pour the batter into three prepared pans. Add any extra batter to a cupcake paper. This will be used for the crumble. Add damp baking strips.

Step 10

Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch. When done, let them cool in their pans for about 5 minutes, then dump them out onto a wire rack.

Step 11

Bake the crumble cupcake for about 15-20 minutes.

Step 12

Cream the butter. Sift confectioners sugar into a large bowl.

Step 13

Add room temperature cream cheese to the creamed butter. Add vanilla and a pinch of salt. Beat together.

Step 14

Add the confectioners sugar in cups. Mix until combined. If you’re wanting a stronger buttercream, keep adding more sifted confectioners sugar until it’s stiff. Transfer buttercream to a piping bag and snip off the tip.

Step 15

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the room temperature butter until smooth.

Step 16

Sift in the confectioner’s sugar. You can add the sugar in two batches.

Step 17

Beat until you get to a desired consistency. Add a few drops of rose water. Make sure the buttercream is thick.

Step 18

Dye a few batches yellow, soft pink and pink. Use some matcha powder to create a natural leaf color. Transfer the green buttercream to a bag fitted with a 68 tip.

Step 19

Transfer buttercream to piping bag fitted with a 120 and 127 tip to make the petals.

Step 20

Cut a square of parchment paper. Use a tiny bit of buttercream to glue down the paper onto a piping nail.

Step 21

For the roses, place a small cone of very thick buttercream in the middle of the square.

Step 22

Add bits of yellow in the middle for added dimension. Pipe the petals using a 120 and 127 tip.

Step 23

To create the crumbs, you can either break up the cupcake by hand or use a cheese grater. I find that using the grater gives you a more consistent crumb for decorating.

Step 24

Pipe a thick layer of cream cheese frosting between each layer. Cover the cake in frosting.

Step 25

Use a bench scraper and offset spatula to smooth out the cake. Transfer to the fridge to chill for about 10 minutes or until the frosting is a bit set. If you’re in a warm climate, let your cake chill for even longer!

Step 26

Using your hand, scoop crumbs onto the side and top of the cake until it’s completely covered.

Step 27

Arrange the flowers on top of the cake. Pipe in leaves using the green buttercream.