this week is like christmas for me.
1. picky cook is 2. i wrote my first blog post on february 12, 2008.
2. the olympics start friday. i am a certifiable olympics junkie.
3. sunday is valentine's day - without a doubt my favorite holiday.
4. sunday is also our 9 year anniversary.
so many things to be excited about and to celebrate. i thought some red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting would be the perfect way to celebrate this week. you need to be careful when making the cupcake batter - red food coloring stains anything it touches. my only advice is to wear clothes you don't care about and work very carefully.
the cupcakes are RED! bright, vivid and beautiful red. i have seen many red velvet cupcakes that look kinda red but really they were brown with a hint of red. not the case with these. the texture is lovely and the cream cheese frosting is the perfect companion to the little cakes. it provides just the right amount of tang and sweetness.
these cupcakes are perfect for valentines day because of their beautiful red color but really they are perfect for any celebration. enjoy!
red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
recipe from pinch my salt
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour - sift it before you measure it.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers (really it only makes 20 - not 24). I made 12 regular sized cupcakes and 12 mini-cupcakes.
Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Be careful - it will fizz up. Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake cups with cake batter (they should be 2/3 – 3/4 full). Place muffin tins on the middle rack of a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check early and don’t overbake. In my oven - the mini cupcakes took 15 minutes and the regular sized cupcakes took 18 minutes.
Cool the cupcakes in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before frosting. Frost cupcakes with cream cheese icing - recipe below.
cream cheese frosting
16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
pinch of salt
With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Turn mixer to low speed and blend in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature before using (after frosting softens up, beat with mixer until smooth).
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