Red Velvet Cupcakes


Every Thursday at my office I hold a meeting with some of my colleagues. I was having trouble getting people to arrive on time, so one week I rashly decided to offer a Thursday Bribe - I'd bring goodies to the meeting every week, and everyone who's on time would get one. The success of this strategy has been sporadic...people seemed to be coming on time for a while, but I just never had the heart to actually withhold to goods, so they lost all motivation. But it's given me an opportunity to broaden my baking horizons and try a bunch of new receipts. I'll have a sweet treat up here every Thursday as a result! Valentine's Day is a great inspiration for baked goodies; actually, when you're single, that's all it's good for. I've tried red velvet cupcakes in the past but to no success - but this time, I hit the jackpot.  Delicious. I ate three last night alone (I know, it's sad). And I'll make this a double header by giving up my amazing cream cheese frosting.


Serving size: 20 cupcakes



Ingredients:


1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
28 ml red food coloring
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt

Note: I never have buttermilk on hand - who does?? I know the substitute for it would be to add a tbsp of white vinegar to a cup of milk, stir, and let it sit for about 5 minutes. However, I only have skin milk and I wanted something richer. My solution was to mix 1 tbsp vinegar, 3/4 cup whipping cream, and 1/4 cup skin milk. Love it.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 12 cup muffin pans or line with 20 paper baking cups.  If you really want to go overboard with the Valentine's Day theme, use pink baking cups :)

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, buttermilk (or whipping cream/skim milk hybrid), red food coloring and vanilla. Stir in the baking soda and vinegar. Combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt; stir into the batter just until blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.  

Bake in the preheated oven until cooked, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan set over a wire rack. When cool, frost with....

The Best Cream Cheese Frosting You'll Ever Taste

A Meliks' Original © Recipe

I'm not a fan of frosting in general. But especially not cream cheese frosting. I enjoy cupcakes, but the frosting is just too sweet for me. And cream cheese to me should only be used on a bagel, or in a cheesecake. However, when you're baking for someone else, you leave your preferences at the door. I decided to wing this one and come up with something on my own - and I was amazed with my own brilliance (she says humbly). It's got a great texture, nice and creamy; some tartness from the cream cheese but it's not overwhelmingly cheesy. This recipe makes enough to cover the 20 cupcakes and then some.


Ingredients:
 

1 package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup  butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract


Directions:

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and the cream cheese until it's smooth and creamy. Mix in the vanilla with a spoon, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar. And that's it. Done! If you have some leftover, toss it in a fridge for a rainy day...or just go at it with a spoon.
 

This frosting was the bomb on the red velvet cupcakes - but it would also be great on anything that would classically use cream cheese frosting. I'm already planning to use it on a carrot cake, and it would be great on cinnamon/sticky buns too!!