Red Velvet Cupcakes

I love red velvet cupcakes. There is a cupcakery down the road from me that makes amazing red velvet cupcakes. I have never made red velvet cupcakes before, so thought I would give it a try. I used the recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes and can highly recommend it. (The book and the recipe).

Red Velvet Cupcakes:

(Makes 24)

2 1/2 cups plain flour (sifted)

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups caster sugar

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 large eggs (at room temp)

1/2 teaspoon red gel paste food colouring

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit / 180 degrees centigrade / Gas Mark 4. Line muffin tin with paper cases

2. Whisk the flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl.

3. With an electric mixer on a medium- high speed, whisk together the sugar and the oil until combined. Add the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in food colouring and vanilla.

4. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches alternating with two additions of buttermilk. Stir together the bicarbonate of soda and the vinegar. Add this frothy mixture to the batter and mix for about 10 seconds.

5. Divide batter into paper cases. Cook for about 20 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

6. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting.

There are loads of recipes out there for cream cheese frosting. My favourite one uses 4 oz of butter, 6 oz of full fat cream cheese and 2 cups of icing sugar. Oh, and a teaspoon of vanilla.


With the first two cupcakes, I attempted the Magnolia - style method of frosting. No way Jose. I could not get the hang of it at all, and had to revert to a piping bag. I don't think it helped that it was scorching today, making the cream cheese frosting quite runny. Or maybe I just overbeat the cream cheese.

I was pleased with my first attempt though. The red velvet cupcakes were yum. Mr G agreed wholeheartedly.

I topped them with regular and mini red heart sprinkles.