Red Velvet Cupcakes - The RESULTS!

It's results time again!

Sugar's Cupcakes:

Salt's Cupcakes:

After the fiasco that was my meringues, I needed a win to make me feel better about myself! I highly recommend the recipe I used to anyone that loves red velvet. I just received word from one of our taste testers that the cupcakes are still fabulous all these days later as long as you keep them in the fridge!

Yep. We are still eating them over here.

So because I won this week, Sugar has picked out the next three things that our lovely readers can vote on.

Will it be:

1. Key Lime Pie (Yes, again...apparently Sugar's husband is a HUGE fan.)
2. Apple Pie
3. Lemon Bars

A poll will be appearing in the side bar as soon as I can figure out how to make one. Or maybe I will just have to beg Sugar to do it for me because she's already a Blogger poll expert. :)

HAPPY VOTING and we hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. We will announce the results of the poll at the end of next week and get back to baking after the holiday is over.

Does anyone know if they make red velvet cupcake perfume?

Because I need it. I would be totally happy if I could smell like these every day for the rest of my life.

First and foremost, I would like to give a big boohiss to my husband's job that has taken him away to Texas until Thursday. Without him, leftover cupcakes are going to sit in my kitchen and I am going to have to dial up all the willpower I have to not continuously cram them into my face. This recipe made 3 dozen cupcakes, you guys. That is exactly 2 and a half dozen more than will probably be eaten at the office today. I'm in big trouble.

So what can I say about red velvet cupcakes besides the fact that I want to wear them as perfume? They are my favorite kind of cake (hence why I picked them as an option when I lost the meringue challenge). And cream cheese icing rocks.

When I started looking into different recipes though, I was somewhat appalled by how much oil some of them used. (I'm looking at YOU, Paula Deen.) That's when I came upon the absolutely most perfect cupcake for me. Not only because oil was out entirely, but because the recipe is said to be from the famous Magnolia Bakery in NYC.

Okay I have no idea why that would make it any more perfect for me. Maybe because I used my superior Google skills to find it? Whatever.

Super Special Secret Magnolia Bakery Red Velvet Cupcakes on the DL

Courtesy of some blogger that rocks for putting it online.

Yield: I just told you. My ass is going to be enormous if someone doesn't take some of these home.

Ingredients for the cake:

3 ⅓ cups cake flour (not self-rising)

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 ¼ cups sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

6 tablespoons red food coloring

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 ½ cups buttermilk

1 ½ teaspoons cider vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and lightly flour three muffin tins. Place cupcake papers in the tins.
3. Sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
5. Whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.
6. In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts, alternating with the flour. Beat until each addition is fully incorporated.
7. Stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. It will foam up just like in middle school science class and if you are anything like me, it will make you laugh like a moron. Add and mix well until the batter is smooth.
8. Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake each tray for 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
9. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for 1 hour. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

And now the frosting:

1 pound (two 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened and cut into small pieces

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups confectioners’ sugar

The original recipe calls for 5 cups of sugar, but I thought that was kind of overkill. Plus I like my cream cheese icing to taste a little like cream cheese.

1. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the vanilla and beat well.
3. Gradually add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating continuously until smooth and creamy.
4. Cover and refrigerate icing for 2 to 3 hours, but no longer, to thicken before using.
5. Put icing in pastry bag and then proceed to get it all over self, counter, floor, cats, and anything else that might be within a 15 foot radius.

I'm not joking. I have never destroyed my kitchen so thoroughly as I did making these cupcakes. I love them though. Please, someone take some. Please.

I Must Give a Big, Public Thank You...

...to my absolutely wonderful, perfect husband. Without him, this crazy weekend of baking madness could have never taken place. So, before getting into of the yummy details behind this week's recipe, I would like to first and foremost thank my husband for the massive amount of help and support he gave me this weekend so I could bake 2 cakes, celebrate a plethora of birthdays, and create this round of cupcakes. LOVE YOU!! XOXO!!

Okay, now on to one of my most favorite desserts ever, Red Velvet! This week, I could have taken the easy way out and used the same recipe for all of my baking, but thought I might try my own personal Red Velvet throwdown. I made a cake by Bobby Flay this weekend and loved the flavor of the cake and the icing was not a typical cream cheese icing, but a cream icing. That icing tasted great and was actually textured (probably because I did something wrong), but still tasted fantastic. I highly recommend anyone try it. Here is the recipe. For anyone into decorating, this icing is much easier to work with than any cream cheese icing, so if you've got some crazy decorating job or prefer your cakes to hold up more than 5 minutes outside of the arctic, I say go for this icing.


For these cupcakes, however, I tried Paula Deen. This chick can seriously bake. Anyway, I think I liked the icing from these better than Bobby's, plus that icing was waaaay quicker and easier to make. Perfect for cupcakes. As for decorating, it's a typical cream cheese icing that must be refrigerated as you go because simple hand heat will completely melt this. But, I think the flavor is FANTASTIC!!! The cupcakes require a lot more oil, y'all, than I'm used to, but I figured the closer you are to a heart attack, the better they probably taste. :)

Paula Deen's Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe Courtesy Paula Deen, 2007

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Serves: 24 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

2.5 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 cups sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cocoa powder

1.5 cups vegetable oil

1 c. buttermilk, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 tbsp. red food coloring

1 tsp. white distilled vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 lb. cream cheese, softened

2 sticks butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 c. sifted confectioner's sugar

Chopped pecans & fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish (Note: I omitted this step)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. Line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld elextric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in the oven for about 20-22 minutes, turning the pans once halfway through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Icing:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.

Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pie it on with a big star tip.

Happy Baking!!

XOXO,

Sugar

The way to a man's heart is undoubtedly through his tastebuds.

And the Winner Is....

Red Velvet Cupcakes!!

Thanks to all who voted. Stay tuned till Monday when Sugar & Salt throwdown with some cute, red little treats. Have a great weekend!