Red Delicious!

As promised, here is the recipe to the delectible Red Velvet Cupcakes. I took these cupcakes to work and got many compliments. Also, the frosting on these lovlies really makes them stars -- this is now my perfected cream cheese frosting recipe and I will use it as a basis for all my cupcakes from now on. That is how much I like it.

The major note on these is do not overbake them. Watch them like a hawk, and check them judiciously. Red Velvet already has a tendency to seem dry, so leaving them in even a minute too long can be the kiss of death for these little red delights. But, not to worry, if you bake them a bit too long just make sure to add extra frosting to them and I'm sure no one will notice. (A tip from experience, folks.)

Here they are!


Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. red food coloring (two bottles)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Ingredients for the frosting:

16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.

3. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside. (This is where it starts getting messy! Aprons are key.)

4. In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go.

5. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.


6. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. (Also a neat little science project – you will see!) Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine.

7. Fill cupcake cups with cake batter (they should be 2/3 – 3/4 full). Place muffin tins on the middle rack of a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I would check them as early as 17 minutes to account for oven variation. I should have taken mine out just a few minutes earlier than I did!

8. Cool the cupcakes in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Directions for frosting:

1. With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth.

2. Turn mixer to low speed and blend in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. Frost cupcakes when they fully cooled and with frosting at room temperature.

3. Decorate with sprinkles or anything else you might like. I covered half of my cupcakes with flaked coconut which got rave reviews! It gave the cupcakes a bit more texture and the coconut really complimented the flavor.



Enjoy! Happy Valentine’s Day!