Make Pretty Red Velvet Cupcakes

Like I said a few posts back, I had been searching far and wide to have a taste of Red Velvet Cake. Unfortunately, it's not that easy to find. The nearest I got to it was Red Velvet Vixen by Cupcakes by Sonja. And despite this, my Red Velvet curiosity remained unsatisfied. So finally, I resolved to make my own. I researched online for good recipes until I decided on the recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes from recipegirl.com. It looked easy enough to make and promises to make knockout cupcakes so I was pretty excited. Notably, this recipe calls for this much red food coloring:

The verdict? Soft, moist, and flavorful cupcakes, not to mention very nice to look at.

Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe

Cupcake batter:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ tsp salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup butter, at room temperature
2¼ cups granulated sugar
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1 ounce bottle of red food coloring (2 Tbsp.)
1½ cups buttermilk*
1½ tsp baking soda
1½ tsp vinegar

Butter Cream frosting:

1½ cups whole milk
1/3 cup flour
dash of salt
1½ cups softened butter
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until combined. One at a time, add eggs; beat on medium speed after each. Bet in food coloring on low.

Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to egg mixture; beat on low-medium after each just until combined. Stir together baking soda and vinegar. Add to batter; beat just until combined.

Fill cupcake liners two-thirds full.

Bake 15 to 17 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean.

Cool pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Gently remove cupcakes from pans; cool.

Frost with buttercream frosting.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, flour and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Transfer to a small bowl; cover surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cooled (do not stir).

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla on medium speed for 5 minutes until light and fluffy and sugar is almost dissolved. Add cooled milk mixture, ¼ cup at a time; beat on low after each until smooth.

Yield: About 28 cupcakes


*Instead of 1 1/2 cups of commercially available buttermilk, I used a mixture of 1 1/2 tablespoons of white vinegar (you can also use lemon juice instead of vinegar) and 1 1/2 cups of fresh milk. I let this mixture stand for 5 to 10 minutes before using.


Related article:
Red Velvet Cupcake from Cupcakes by Sonja

Comments

RecipeGirl said…
Yay! Glad you liked them :)

They look very pretty!
Anonymous said…
glad to hear someone else in this country is on the same mission as i am. red velvet cakes are almost impossible to find here in the philippines. puro cupcakes lang. i've tried that by frostings. it was okay but nothing special. i'm desperate enough to try red ribbon's though i heard it was no good.

if you find anything, post it here. i'll be sure to check back. =)
Unknown said…
I didn't think that red cupcakes existed. These look amazing.

I stumbled upon your very fine blog while looking for Tropical Hut. Everything on your site looks so delicious and the photos are a great help. I haven't been home in a long time and your blog brings back a lot of good memories. Your site is a good showcase of Philippine culture.
Ingke said…
Where can you buy the buttermilk? Is it in liquid form?
Anonymous said…
What about buttermilk in powder form?i do have some on my pantry.What measurement should i consider, and does it still needs to mix up with water?pls enlighten. thank you so much and how