Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I guess now that the Super Bowl is over, that means it's time to get in gear for some Valentine's Day treats. I went from store to store trying to find Valentine's Day themed sprinkles with no luck.... it was only the 4th of February people, surely they couldn't be sold out! Luckily I was headed down to Seattle for the weekend so my first stop (as it so often is) was Home Cake. If you are in the Seattle area you MUST seek this place out. Its in a somewhat residential neighborhood near Northgate. It's just a tiny little store jam packed with everything you could ever need or want for baking. The owner is always very nice and willing to offer up advise for your project if needed. It's probably a good thing I don't live closer, it would surely bankrupt me. I gathered up a variety of sprinkles and a few other supplies and was on my way. The first recipe that came to mind was just a classic Red Velvet Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting. So simple, so classic but I find them incredibly beautiful, not to mention yummy! I think you could put cream cheese frosting on just about anything and it would be a winner in my book. This was the first time I've used Martha Stewart's recipe for red velvet but I liked it very much and will probably use it in the future. After removing the cupcakes from the tins, I was worried because they seemed very oily but that problem seemed to take care of itself after sitting for awhile. The cream cheese frosting is a recipe (technique?) that I developed a couple of years ago and never looked back. I used to always have trouble with my cream cheese frosting being too thin to pipe - it would just run off the cupcake and at the very least not hold its shape. After some experimenting, I found that if I cream the room temperature butter with the powdered sugar first, then add in small pieces of cold cream cheese, the result was a thick, wonderful frosting that is a dream to pipe.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

By Martha Stewart

Yields  24 cupcakes

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self- rising), sifted

2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon red gel-paste food color

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in food color and vanilla.
3. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds.
4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Top with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Yields enough to generously frost 24-30 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 8oz cream cheese, cubed and cold
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Cream your butter and powdered sugar in your stand mixer until very well combines, approximately 3 minutes. With your mixer running on low, slowly add in your cubed, cold pieces of cream cheese one at a time. Once incorporated, add in your vanilla extract and heavy cream. Continue beating for a few minutes longer until light and fluffy.

Note: If you desire a dense frosting with a heavier cream cheese taste, use equal amounts of cream cheese and butter.

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