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