Wednesday, July 11, 2012

The Best Red Velvet Cupcakes

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Mom's birthday is coming up next week and I thought of giving her cupcakes instead of the usual cake. I think it's nice to divert from the tradition and set off something new and exciting. There are limited cupcake bakeries here compared to New York but hey, I found that they are as good as it should be; moist, rich and delicious.

Among the typical vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, red velvets are the closest to my heart. For one thing I love the colour and the cream cheese frosting, to die for. I'm not a big fan of butter cream and that explains why I prefer cream cheese.

I found this delicious recipe that you might love. It's by Paula Deen and you can never go wrong with it.

Ingredients:
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
  • 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons red food colouring
  • 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  •  
Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 1 pound cream cheese, softened
  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
  • Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa poweder In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for
doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.
Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.
Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.