Sunday, January 24, 2010

Red Velvet Cupcakes


We had a little birthday party for my sister-in-law Rachel yesterday, and I made red velvet cupcakes for dessert. This is the first time I've used a cake decorating tip to frost cupcakes, but I'm definitely converted. During WWII beets were used to achieve the red color. I'll try that next time in honor of Dwight Schrute.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 oz liquid red food coloring
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour

8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp sour cream
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
16+ ounces powdered sugar

Combined softened butter and sugar. Beat until fluffy--about five minutes.

Add eggs. Mix. Add sour cream and milk. Mix. Add vanilla and food coloring. Mix.

Add cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Mix.

Add flour 1/2 cup at a time and stir just until combined. Don't over-stir.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. 22 minutes worked perfectly for me and 23 was a bit too much.

Cool in pan for five minutes and then remove from pan.

When cupcakes are completely cooled, make frosting.

Beat softened cream cheese, butter, and sour cream until smooth.

Add vanilla. Stir.

Add powdered sugar until the frosting is as thick as you would like. Less powdered sugar will create a runny frosting, and more will create one that holds its shape. For this recipe, I used about 20 oz.

Yield: 28 cupcakes

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just found your blog. You asked for comments...love the lack of ads and other "goofy" stuff. I scrolled through the recipes. They all look delicious. I like the variety of main dishes and desserts, etc. I may start trying them one each day.
I will let friends & family know about your blog also. Great work.
I think it is great in every way !

Kathleen said...

Love your blog! These cupcakes are beautiful. Love,love,love red velvet!!

Unknown said...

Thanks for the recipe! I just made them and I am now converted to a cupcake lover. Couldn't get my icing to stand tall like yours even though I added a ton of powdered sugar. Thanks again!

Laura said...

Red velvet just happens to be one of my favorite things on this Earth. Glad I found you - I'll definitely be back!

Rachelle said...

Margaret: I'm glad you tried out the recipe! As far as the frosting goes--did you have the butter and the cream cheese at room temperature? That should help.

Anonymous said...

heya! dyou think it's possible to use this recipe as a cake recipe? Thinking of valentines' day. =)

Rachelle said...

I haven't made it as a cake, but the quantity is comparable to that of a 9x13 cake or two round ones so I bet it would work just fine. Let me know how it goes!

Jenny M. said...

These cupcakes look so delish! I am gonna have to make them today. Love your blog, great content and easy on the eyes!

B & D said...

i really enjoy red velvet cake its just so tasty as well as beautiful looking coz of its color :)
BTW i really like your blog..found it on taste spotting... :)

Anonymous said...

The cupcake looks great - I will definitely try it. What type/size tip did you use for the icing?

Rachelle said...

I used a Wilton 1M tip for the frosting.

Anonymous said...

Is this really chocolatey? I tried a red velvet cake at a cupcake store here and you could smell the chocolate! It was delish :) Though I love the color, what draws me to a RVC is the chocolate flavor :D Is there anything you suggest add to make this more chocolatey?

Rachelle said...

The cupcakes were sufficiently chocolatey for me, but if you want even more chocolate flavor you could try increasing the cocoa to 1 cup and decreasing the flour to 2 1/4 cups. If you do that--please let me knowwhat you think.

Anonymous said...

What a gorgeous looking cupcake! Does it produce a moist light and fluffy cupcake? For the icing, do you use the blocks of cream cheese (which are much firmer) or the cartons of cream cheese (which are more like spreadable cream cheese)? Thanks! :)

Rachelle said...

Yes, the cupcakes are fairly light and moist. I use blocks of cream cheese.

Dari buku resepi mak said...

love it