Welcome to the first phase of hell week.. week 5.. midterms week. Compiled of late nights & early mornings, iced coffee & donut runs, procrastination & perseverance, every student is relieved once they see the light at the end of the tunnel (the end of week 5). Crazy to say, this is the last set of midterms that I’ll ever be taking! That alone makes me overcome with joy. I’ve prepared myself and created blog posts to keep my blog up to date while I’m out writing numerous papers for school this week. Ironic how that works- how I procrastinate so much on school work but don’t procrastinate when it comes to baking. I guess that’s why they call it a passion.
Alright let’s be honest here.. I’ve been searching for a moist, light red velvet cake recipe and still have yet to find it. I have a folder in my bookmarks solely dedicated to numerous red velvet recipes that I’ve stumbled upon across the internet. Going down the list, I’ve been testing and checking each recipe one at a time, never being able to put that huge star next to the title. All of the recipes that I’ve tried have just been “meh” and unimpressive. I’m on a mission to find the perfect red velvet recipe… so if you have it, let me know! 🙂 Everything that I’ve tried just doesn’t compare or even come close to the ones sold in bakeries. I was really disappointed in these cupcakes so I didn’t bother piping on the frosting. I just slathered a chunk on and let it be. As for the cream cheese frosting, it was just okay in my book. I’m sticking to my cream cheese frosting on my carrot cakes. I’ll post the recipe just in case you guys want to tweak it or give it a go for yourselves.
Recipe from The Repressed Pastry Chef:
Allison’s Amazing Red Velvet Cupcakes
adapted from the NY Times Red Velvet Cake recipe
- 1c cake flour
- 1/3c cocoa
- 1/2tsp salt
- 2/3c vegetable oil
- 3/4c sugar
- 1 egg
- 1oz (2T) red food coloring (I used red food gel by Wilton)
- 1/2tsp vanilla
- 1/2c buttermilk (I used the milk & vinegar method)
- 1/2tsp baking soda
- 3/4tsp white vinegar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line12-cupcake pans with cupcake liners and spray with cooking spray.
Whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl.
Place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. Beat in eggs one at a time.
With machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring (and water or syrup, if necessary). (Take care: it may splash.)
Add vanilla.
Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.
Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds.
Divide batter among 12-cupcake pans, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Em’s Magnificent Cream Cheese Icing
adapted form the 06/98 Epicurious.com Cream Cheese Icing recipe
- 1 8oz pkg of cream cheese – room temperature, divided in three parts
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter – COLD
- 1 tablespoon shortening
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Directions
Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and combine very well. Add the first third of the cream cheese and combine very well. Add the shortening and combine very well. Add the remaining cream cheese one piece at a time, combining very well after each. Gradually add the sugar and combine thoroughly until light and fluffy.
Sorry these were only okay… they look pretty darn good.
Red velvet is my #1 favourite. Starbucks actually had a really good version around Valentine’s Day…surprisingly enough. I’ve never even tried to make them myself, but once you find that killer recipe I will definitely attempt it!
We’re looking for the perfect red velvet recipe too. Funny, we thought Em’s frosting was the bomb!
I made these just about a week ago and I agree, the cake was good, but not great. But instead I made it with a vanilla bean cream cheese frosting and it MADE the cake!!! It was so damn good. Have you ever tried the Magnolia Bakery recipe?
Your blog is super. So are your photographies. They make me hungry. I have spent a nice moment when seeing them. Thanks a lot.
Hey Allison!
I combined Magnolia Bakery’s red velvet recipe with Sprinkles Cupcake cream cheese recipe and LOVED it… you should try it and see if you like it!
The frosting is to DIE for.
http://tinyurl.com/arkeod
And here is an extremely popular red velvet cake from someone in NY – I have never tried it but he has the best red velvet cake in the city
http://www.cakemanraven.com/recipe.htm
I hope you like them!
Sorry these were just ok – can I ask what was wrong? I’m a big fan of this recipe: http://pinchmysalt.com/2009/02/04/red-velvet-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting-recipe/, but I start checking for doneness around 12-13 minutes (I think 20 is way way too long, unless you’re baking huge cupcakes).
Wow!!!! Simply adorable!
Red Velvet Cupcakes:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cocoa
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 (1-ounce) bottle red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift flour, baking soda and coco together. Beat sugar and eggs together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl mix together oil, vinegar, food coloring, and vanilla. Add to the bowl of eggs and sugar and beat until combined.
Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the wet mixture by alternating the buttermilk and dry ingredients. Always start with the flour and end with the flour.
Pour batter into cupcake liners. Bake for around 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean (It’s all about when you take them out, earlier is better because they’ll be moist).
Cream Cheese frosting
1/2 cup margarine
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 box confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped lightly toasted pecans
Let margarine and cream cheese soften to room temperature. Cream well. Add sugar and beat until mixed but not too much. Add vanilla and nuts
butteryum- i’ll find the perfect one one day….
pam- wow really? I never would have thought starbucks, out of all places, to have a good red velvet. i’ll have to remember that at vday time next year.. i’ll keep you readers posted if i come across the perfect recipe!
nate n annie- it’s good, but not great… i’ve tried many versions of cream cheese frosting as well, and always stick to one passed down from my aunt. most of the recipes are similar, you just tweak it to taste however you like it.
michelle- no i haven’t tried it yet! i haven’t even tried a vanilla bean frosting recipe, but that sounds divine. there are so many recipes out there to try and so little time/resources. 🙁 lol do you have the vanilla bean frosting recipe that you could share? 🙂 thanks!
eleonora- thank you so much and glad to hear that you enjoy it!
teanna- thank you so much for the recipes! i’ll have to give them a go. i’ve been hearing a lot of good things about magnolia’s red velvet. 🙂
kristen- they were a bit dry for me (i think you’re right about the baking time.. 25-30 minutes is just too long!) and the cocoa flavor didn’t really come through. granted, red velvet is supposed to be light.. just not THIS light. it just didn’t really tickle my fancy. i have that recipe bookmarked as well and have yet to try it! thanks for reminding me to get on that. 🙂
tramie- thanks!
saira- thanks for the recipes! i’ll add them to my list.. 1 tsp cocoa?! thats it? that seems so little to me.
They look pretty..haha! I agree, midterms are weak sauce.
Here’s the vanilla bean cream cheese recipe! Enjoy!
http://www.cakemanraven.com/recipe.htm
these look so good
Bummer about the cupcakes but everyone has different tastes so maybe that recipe will float someone else’s boat.
Good luck with your exams and papers!
~ingrid
Hi! I just discovered your blog and love it. I hope all your baking dreams come true! Also, have you tried the red velvet recipe on smittenkitchen’s site? http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/09/red-velvet-cake/?Layout=Printer It looks promising..
Just found your blog and thought I’d send you the recipe I use. Wouldn’t rave about the cream cheese icing but the cakes are pretty good.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
125g unsalted butter
300g caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ tbsp. cocoa powder
1 x 38ml bottle red food colouring
1 x 284 ml carton buttermilk
300g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 tsp red wine vinegar
• For the icing (I find half this makes plenty)
125g soft unsalted butter
150g icing sugar
375g soft cream cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 180c, 160c Fan, gas 4.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until well mixed.
4. In another bowl mix the vanilla extract, cocoa and red food colouring to make a paste. Beat it into the butter mixture.
5. Add the flour and buttermilk in two batches until all combined.
6. Beat in the bicarb of soda and vinegar and one teaspoon of salt. Beat until light and fluffy.
7. Line a muffin tin with paper cases (recipe says makes 18 but I find it does about 24). Bake for 25-30 minutes, until just risen and set.
For icing
1. Beat together butter and icing sugar until fluffy.
2. Slowly add the cream cheese, beating well.
3. Spread on cakes.
4. Eat!
Just stumbled upon ur blog as I was searching up cupcakes stuff. Awesome job! Here’s a great recipe that I use for red velvets and it hasnt failed me yet. I do sub part cake flour w/ all purpose and also double the cocoa powder. So far anyone thats tried them has loved them and in my opinion it doesnt use much butter or oil as others. Hope u try it and like it. http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCupcakes.html
Check out this recipe
Red velvet cupcakes on
Waytoobakey.blogspot.com