Another first for me today. Red velvet cupcakes. A number of people have been talking about it around me. Then I see a few recipes here and there so I decided to try it out, having never actually eaten it before either. I found this particular recipe which tickled my fancy. Like chocolate cake recipes, there are so many red velvet cupcake recipes. After reading the ingredients – I nearly fell off the chair when I saw how much food colouring goes in this recipe. Besides that, the method seemed sound. So I gave it a go. I adapted as I went. I think it turned out pretty good. What’s my gauge for “goodness” considering I’ve never had red velvet cupcakes before? Well – unlike most cupcakes, these aren’t crumbly and dry. Plus they’re really red – with “only” half a bottle of food colouring. Below the recipe – which I adjusted to metric.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (I used 2.5 cups of plain flour minus 5 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Half a bottle of red food colouring (~2 Tblspn)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (125g)
1 1/2 cups caster sugar (I used 1 cup)
2 eggs, at room temperature (lightly beaten)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
Method
1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers (I ended up with 18 cupcakes in total)
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
3. In a small bowl, mix food colouring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside. The trick to this one, I put the cocoa first into the bowl, then slowly added the food colouring, enough to make a paste.
4. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
5. Then add the eggs, one at a time.
6. Followed by the vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping sides of bowl as needed.
7. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and mix until well combined, then half of the buttermilk.
8. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, and mix until well combined, scrape down the bowl with a spatula to get everything mixed in.
9. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. It is supposed to fizz.
10. Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine.
11. Fill cupcake cups with about 3/4 full.
12. Bake for approximately 18-22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until toothpick comes out clean.
13. Cool the cupcakes in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before frosting.
White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
250g packet of block cream cheese, at room temperature.
1 stick of butter (1/2 a cup), at room temperature.
1 teaspoon vanilla
180g white chocolate
2 to 3 cups icing sugar mixture, sifted
Directions
1. Melt the chocolate and.Let cool for a few minutes. For melting chocolate tips check out a previous post – dealing with chocolate
White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
250g packet of block cream cheese, at room temperature.
1 stick of butter (1/2 a cup), at room temperature.
1 teaspoon vanilla
180g white chocolate
2 to 3 cups icing sugar mixture, sifted
Directions
1. Melt the chocolate and.Let cool for a few minutes. For melting chocolate tips check out a previous post – dealing with chocolate
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the the cream cheese and butter together until combined.
3. Add the vanilla and mix to incorporate.
4. Add the cooled melted chocolate and mix to incorporate.
5. Gradually add the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time through a sifter, and mix until well combined. Add the amount of your liking.
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