Red Velvet Cupcakes

And I am back! 

After  travelling to New York & Montreal and suffering from terrible jetlag, my zest to bake hadn't subsided. I know now what the joy of creating something has and that gives a enough high (yes to even keep you awake!).

In New York, my darling sister and I made up our own cupcake crawl, which was not planned much in advance, but it was great fun to be with her and to sample the sugar filled delights - in fact they were so sweet, we couldn't eat more than 3 (and we shared those three too!!)

I made a batch of the famous Red Velvet cupcakes as one of my colleagues was hosting a dinner in which the theme was RED! What better way to end a dinner than with a light, fluffy cupcakes loaded with cream cheese frosting. 

I followed the recipe posted online for the Magnolia Bakery cupcakes. This recipe makes 36 cupcakes, and here it goes:

GET

• 3 ⅓ cups cake flour
• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 ¼ cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 6 tablespoons red food coloring
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk
• 1 ½ teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

As technically cream doesn't exist in France, I make do with St. Moret or the simple Fromage à Tartiner.

• 250 grams cream cheese, softened and cut into small pieces
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces
• 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 21/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

SET

1.      Preheat oven to 175°C. line the muffin tins with cupcake liners.

2.      Cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3.      Whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla in a small bowl and add to the batter and beat well.

4.       In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts, alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overheat.

5.      In another bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

6.      Pour the mixture into the individual muffin moulds. Fill in 3/4th, make sure the mixture doesn’t fill up the moulds.

7.      Bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes or untill well done.Remove from the oven and cool completely before de-moulding. 

8.      For the Frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat well.

9.      Gradually add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating continuously until smooth and creamy. 
Cover and refrigerate icing for 2 to 3 hours, but no longer, to thicken before using.

GO

When the cupcakes have cooled, spread the frosting liberally and decorate with silly nothings !