Red Velvet Cupcakes

Valentine’s day is around the corner. Bryan and I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s day. But this is a good excuse for me to make some delicious desserts. 🙂 Nothing says Valentine’s day more than a vivid red cupcake. Red velvet cupcake is pretty new to me. I have never seen or had this in Hong Kong before. At the beginning, I am not sure about the color of this cupcake. But soon after I tried my first red velvet, I have fallen in love with it. It is not that scary, in fact, it is just a chocolate cupcake with cream cheese frosting. This recipe is great! The cupcakes were light and flavorful, and the frosting was so creamy. They were not too sweet at all. For those of you who don’t like desserts too sweet, these cupcakes are for you. Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cupcakes (Adapted from joyofbaking.com)

12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

–   1 ¼ cups sifted cake flour

–   ¾ cup sugar

–   ½ cup buttermilk

–   ¼ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

–   1 large egg

–   1 tablespoon unsweetened regular or Dutch processed cocoa powder

–   1 tablespoon red food coloring

–   ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

–   ½ teaspoon distilled white vinegar

–   ½ teaspoon baking soda

–   ¼ teaspoon baking powder

–   ¼ teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Frosting:

–   8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)

–   2/3 cup cold heavy whipping cream

–   ½ cup powered sugar

–   ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line 12 paper cupcake liners in a muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl, sift cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until blended. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
4. In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk and red food coloring.
5. With the mixer on low-speed, add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture alternately in 3 additions, by starting and finishing with the flour mixture.
6. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and vinegar. Mix well and fold into the cake batter quickly.
7. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 17 – 22 minutes. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.
8. For the frosting, beat the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract at low-speed until combined. Add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to use. Frost and decorate the cupcakes.

Tips:

1. When combine the baking soda and vinegar, the mixture will fizz. Work quickly to send the cake batter to the oven to keep the reaction going.
2. For storage, keep the cupcakes in the fridge for a few days. Let them get back to room temperature before eating.

Source: Read