Have I mentioned before that I love to bake? Well I do! So I used Valentine's Day as an excuse to whip up a batch of red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting!
I've never made red velvet cupcakes before but was eager to give it a try. During my recipe research I discovered that there are two ingredients that are unique to these cakes; buttermilk and vinegar. Some recipes call for white wine vinegar while others call for distilled white vinegar, but all recipes use it in some form. These two ingredients give this desert its trademark tang, so it's important you have these on hand.
I also found varying recipes for the cream cheese frosting. I decided that, in this instance, I wanted a frosting that tasted a bit more like cheesecake and was not as sweet. If you want a sweeter frosting, just add more powdered sugar until you reach the desired taste!
As you might be able to tell from the photos, my cupcakes came out a little less fluffy than I was hoping. It turns out that my baking soda is a little old and did not react the way it was intended to. So today's lesson is to always check your ingredients!
With all of that said, they are still delicious and helped to make our Valentine's date at home a little more special!
INGREDIENTS:
For the Cupcakes:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons red food coloring
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons red food coloring
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons white wine vinegar
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 ounces butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1½ tablespoons vanilla extract
4 ounces butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1½ tablespoons vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard muffin/cupcake tin with liners.
2. On medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes then add the egg. Scrape down the bowl and beat until well incorporated.
3. In a separate small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and red food coloring to make a thick paste. Add to the batter and mix on medium speed until completely combined.
4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add half of the buttermilk. Add half of the flour and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and repeat the process with the remaining milk and flour.
5. Add the salt, baking soda and vinegar. Beat until smooth.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a thin knife or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Cool for 10 minutes and then remove cupcakes from the pan and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
8. To make the frosting: Using the whisk attachment, whip the butter and cream cheese on high speed for about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl down as necessary. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar until all is incorporated. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Increase the speed to medium high and whip for a few minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as necessary.
