Red Velvet Cupcakes

Oh, I debated on this post for a bit.  I'm kind of over baking and sweets right now. Way over.  Christmas is the best and the baking is fun, but after awhile, you just kind of get tired of seeing baked goods everywhere yes?

But then I saw the picture...bright red cupcake and white glossy and creamy cream cheese frosting.  Well, it was worth a post. As is another of Nigella's recipes from Nigella Kitchen.

And while the red is very eye catching and I'm obviously a HUGE fan of the whole red and white pairing, I am a bit curious about our fascination with red velvet cake.  When I was buying the cake flour, a woman reached right into my cart and moved the items around to look at the box... "I thought it was red velvet cake mix and was going to run right back and grab some." Any cake that inspires complete strangers to fondle your groceries is a bit fascinating. (Turns out Nigella's recipe uses all-purpose flour btw).

So is it the flavor or the color that everyone loves so much?  If it's the color, is it just the novelty of red cake?  We have many red foods--strawberries, beets, cherries to name just a few. Or is it the flavor? You think it's vanilla, and you know it's not chocolate, but it has that slight chocolate kiss that makes it different from vanilla or chocolate.  I think it must be the flavor.  But if that were truly the case, then why wouldn't we make velvet cake that has the slight reddish tinge that comes naturally from vinegar and cocoa?  Why the entire bottle of dye? No, I think we love the color of our red velvet cake just as much as the flavor.

It truly is a color that doesn't come naturally.  Jamie Oliver's red velvet cake called for a natural red food coloring.  I love that idea.  At $15 a bottle and with a cake that uses an entire bottle, it was not to be.  Surely, it's okay to splurge a bit with color at Christmas....oui? Nigella called for the Wilton's Christmas red.  I used Red-Red.  They also make a "no taste" red.  Not sure what red tastes like, but I'm guessing all three of those Wilton colors look identical in a cupcake.

While I followed Nigella's ingredient list, I changed up her directions. Here at high altitude, cakes do funny things in my oven all the time and more often than not, come out flatter than a pancake.  I know that wet ingredients first, dry ingredients second with a bit of extra flour, usually works here.  Nigella's recipe has wet and dry and eggs and dry and wet until I was sure that these would sink into oblivion in my kitchen.  They still sunk a little. Frosting hides a multitude of errors.

While I'd like to think it's the flavor, I think I personally love red velvet cupcakes for their beauty.  Is any other cupcake quite as delightful to look upon?

 

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 c. all purpose flour 
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 7 tbsp of butter, room temperature
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 heaping tbsp red paste food coloring
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 cup of buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of red food coloring
• 2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cider vinegar

Frosting ingredients

• 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 4 oz cream cheese (1/2 package), room temperature
• 2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• red sugar crystals for decoration (optional)

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine dry ingredients.
2 In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer for 3 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.   Add food coloring paste and mix completely.
3 In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract.
4 Add a fourth of the dry ingredients and mix, then add a third of the wet. Continue adding in a dry, wet, dry pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.
5 Scoop into cupcake papers, about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes of baking to ensure even baking.
6 Allow to cool for one minute in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes.

The Frosting
1 Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
2 Add the vanilla extract and mix.
3 Add the powdered sugar, continually taste to get to desired sweetness. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.