Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Velvet Cupcakes get their color from liquid or gel red food coloring added to the batter. If you detest from using artificial colors in your food, you can use beetroot juice instead with pretty good results. The extent of red shade of your red velvet cupcakes depends on the amount of coloring and the kind of cocoa powder that you use. I use a 100 percent pure cocoa powder that has a deeper shade of brown as compared to the commonly available cocoa powder brands in the market. My red velvet cupcakes are on the darker side of red rather than bright red.

Traditionally, cream cheese frosting made with cream cheese, butter and icing sugar is used for these cupcakes. However, I prefer to use heavy(whipping) cream instead of the butter. It gives the frosting a very smooth, silky and fluffy texture. The result... an absolutely delicious sweet and tangy frosting that goes incredibly well with these moist cupcakes.


A couple of important things to note: First, you need to work pretty quickly once you add the baking soda and vinegar to the batter and second, do not over bake the cupcakes since if the cupcakes are in the oven even for a minute longer than is required, they tend to turn dry.
Source: joyofbaking

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
110 gm all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornflour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 gm cocoa powder
60 gm unsalted butter
150 gm caster sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
120 ml buttermilk(or 60 ml yogurt and 60 ml milk combined together)
1 tablespoon liquid red food color
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For the Frosting
200 gm Philadelphia cream cheese at room temperature
55 gm icing sugar
140 ml whipping cream, chilled(if the cream is not chilled, it won't whip up).
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method
For the Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners. Sieve together all purpose flour, cornflour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Whisk thoroughly to combine all the ingredients.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and on medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and beat. Add the vanilla extract and beat. Scrape the sides of the bowl as and when required.

In a measuring jug, whisk together the buttermilk and the red food color. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternately add the flour mixture in three increments and the buttermilk in two increments starting and ending with flour.


In a separate small bowl, mix together the baking soda and vinegar. A soon as it stats to foam up, quickly add it to the batter and mix on low speed for 10 seconds. Divide the mixture equally among the cupcake liners.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 mins or until a cake tester or a wooden skewer comes out with a few dry crumbs attached to it. Place the muffin pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 mins. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and place them on the cooling rack to cool completely.

For the Frosting
Sift the icing sugar. With the mixer on medium speed using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the icing sugar and vanilla extract and beat until well combined and smooth. Switch to the whisk attachment(keep the whisk attachment in the refrigerator an hour before you make the frosting to chill it). Gradually add the cream and once the cream has mixed in, increase the speed of the mixer to maximum and beat until it forms stiff peaks(do not over beat). Decorate as you wish.

Note: If you plan to spread the frosting rather than piping it, reduce the frosting ingredients's measurements by half.

Happy Baking!!!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Fluffy Cream Cheese Frsoting