The Best Red Velvets {recipe}

I love red velvet, and I was so excited to finally make these!  I wanted to wait until February, because it's very appropriate for the whole Valentine's theme.  These are honestly the best red velvet recipe I've come across - a definite keeper in my book.  I originally wanted to do a white chocolate frosting instead of a cream cheese, so I tried it.  But it was entirely too sweet for my liking.  So I opted for the cream cheese frosting (like I should have in the first place).  I added a little more powdered sugar than what the recipe called for, because I wanted to cut the cream cheesy-ness a little.. I'm picky like that.  But like one of my friends said, red velvet and cream cheese are just meant for each other.  And it's true!  :)  Are you baking anything fun this coming up Valentine's Day?

The Best Red Velvet Cupcakes
recipe from Drizzle & Dip

• 3 1/3 cups cake flour
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) of unsalted butter at room temp.
• 2 1/4 cups of sugar
• 3 large eggs at room temp
• 3 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp. food colouring
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add each egg one at a time ensuring that it is well mixed before adding the next one. Add the cocoa, vanilla and food colouring. Mix.

In a separate bowl sift the flour.  Mix the salt with the buttermilk (I just add it directly into the measuring cup). Add the sifted flour and the buttermilk to the batter in 3 parts, allowing it to incorporate before adding the next part. Do not over beat.

In a small bowl mix the apple cider vinegar with the baking soda. This will fizz up. Add this right at the end to the batter and mix briefly. Scrape down the bowl by hand using a spatula and ensure that everything is mixed in.

Scoop out dollops of dough, about 2-3 tbsp, to about 3/4 of the way up the cupcake liner. Bake for 20 minutes until well risen and springy to the touch.  Do not over bake.. no one likes a dry cupcake!  ;)  Remove from the pan right away and let cook on a wire rack.

This recipe makes 30 cupcakes - you can easily cut this recipe in half if you wish.


Cream Cheese Icing

• 150g (approx. 2/3 cup) butter (room temperature)
• 190g (roughly 6.5 oz) cream cheese
• 4 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
• 2 – 3 tsp vanilla extract

Beat all of the above ingredients together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract at the end a teaspoon at a time until it is the right consistency.  Decorate your cooled cupcakes with a swirl of frosting.  And enjoy!  :)

Here are a few tips:

1.  Always use real butter.  It's better.
2.  Yes, you can probably use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour.. but the cake flour makes them really light and fluffy.  I recommend using the cake flour.
3.  Make sure your eggs and butter are at room temperature.  It makes a difference.
4.  For my buttermilk, I use Saco Cultured Buttermilk powder.  You can get it at WalMart, and I use it for a lot of things - including yummy waffles and pancakes.
5.  Why apple cider vinegar instead of regular?  I don't know, I just learned it from watching DC Cupcakes.  So now that's what I use.  You can you regular vinegar instead if you wish.
6.  A kitchen scale comes in handy (I used it for the frosting measurements).. I use it a lot more than I thought I would.  And you can get them at a decent price.  I got mine at Target.