I recently received a request for Red Velvet Cupcakes for an upcoming
ladies book club meeting. Red Velvet Cake is apparently very popular but
I've never baked it before now because all that red food coloring (one
full ounce usually!) in the batter kinda freaked me out, so I got over
my food coloring phobia and gave it a try! I will admit that although
the recipe called for a full ounce of red food coloring I could only
bring myself to use half an ounce but I think they still came out very
red, don't you? I made regular sized cupcake and a few mini-cupcakes just
for fun. The cake is moist and tender because of the cake flour and
buttermilk. The flavor is a slightly tangy cake that is not really
chocolate and not really vanilla, can't quite describe it so i'll just
say it tastes like Red Velvet Cake! The frosting is a slight twist on a
traditional cream cheese frosting with the addition of some light brown
sugar that gives an earthy, slightly molasses flavor that takes the
ultra-sweet edge off the frosting yet pairs well with the cake. I
suggest making the frosting the night before you bake the cupcakes. This
gives the frosting a chance to firm up, perfect for piping fun swirls
over the tops of the red cupcakes. A few red sprinkles to top it off and
you're good to go! Here is how you can make your own:
You can find the entire recipe here.
Start with the frosting as it's better to make it a day ahead or at
least before you bake the cupcakes so that it has a chance to firm up a
bit for piping. The most important tip when making cream cheese frosting
is to make sure that the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature
or the frosting will be lumpy!
I like to beat the room temperature
butter first in the bowl of an electric mixer to make sure it is smooth
and creamy. Add the cream cheese and beat until well incorporated,
around 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar, salt and vanilla extract beating
until well combined and smooth. Turn off the mixer and add 2 cups of
powdered sugar. Turn mixer on low and beat until combined, turn off
mixer and add more powdered sugar and mix on low until you get the
consistency you want.
The recipe calls for adding milk to the frosting
but I left that out because I wanted a firm frosting that would hold up
to piping. If you want a softer frosting go ahead and use the milk a
little at a time until you reach your desired consistency. When the
frosting is finished, scoop into a piping bag fitted with a #847 Ateco
star tip (that is the one that I used to get the swirl you see in the
pics) and place in the fridge to firm up.
Preheat oven to 350
degrees (I raised the temperature to 375 degrees). Place cupcake papers
in a muffin tin and set aside. Whisk together cake flour, sugar, baking
soda, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside. In the bowl of an
electric mixer beat together the eggs, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, vinegar
and food coloring.
I only used half an ounce (half the container) of
Wilton No-Taste Red Food Coloring although the recipe calls for a full
ounce of food coloring. Mix until well combined. Add the flour mixture
and beat until smooth. The batter will be very liquid. Transferred the
batter to a measuring cup and fill each muffin cup 2/3 full of batter.
Bake for 25-28 minutes for regular sized cupcakes and 20-25 minutes for
mini's or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.
Remove from pan and let cool completely on wire rack before frosting.
While
cupcakes are cooling, remove frosting from fridge. When cupcakes are
completely cool, swirl frosting onto the tops in a circular motion.
Finish with some red sanding sugar for decoration.
Hi Nancy- let me know how they turn out for you!
Posted by: anna | 08/13/2010 at 08:04 PM
[this is good]
Posted by: Mary Dawson | 08/13/2010 at 05:01 PM
What fun these look like in Mini's!
xoxoxoxoxo
Can't wait to try
Posted by: Nancy | 08/12/2010 at 03:20 PM
[this is good] Wow I am getting so hungry.
Posted by: The Cash Code Pro | 08/12/2010 at 02:31 AM