Red Velvet Cupcakes

Two weeks later and I STILL don't have my car. Let's just sum it up to say that like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.. when you BUY your auto insurance, not so much when you FILE a claim.

Despite all the crappiness surrounding me, there have been some silver linings along the way. While I may have lost my car for a few days, I have gained a Kitchen Aid stand mixer! Heckkk yeahhhh! My mother was kind enough to "donate" hers to me until I get one for myself. You have no idea how long I have been wanting one of these and it has already made such a difference in the quality of my baking. If you don't have a stand mixer and you can afford to drop a few on one, I would highly suggest it. It will change your baking life.

I wanted to thank my mom for doing such an awesome thing for me so I made a cupcake especially for her. Her favorite: Red Velvet.  Keep in mind I have never made these before so I learned a few things while making them...

#1. Did you know food coloring is what makes them red? I did not know this. I thought there was some magical ingredient involved. I am EXTREMELY embarrassed.

#2. They are actually chocolate cupcakes. Yep. Didn't know this either.

After picking myself up off the floor in shame for my lack of knowledge, I used my new mixer to whip these cupcakes up. And they turned out straight sexy and delicious. I brought them to mother's house the next day and she smiled with joy when I showed up with cupcakes in hand.







Red Velvet Cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream (a lot of recipes use buttermilk, I'm not such a fan)
1/2 cup milk
1 bottle red food coloring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract


The How To:


1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pans with cupcake liners. (Recipe yields 30 cupcakes, I made 24 and had some batter left over, so you could cut this recipe in half if you like.)
2.  Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set bowl aside.
3.  Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
5. Mix in sour cream, milk, food coloring and vanilla.
6. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not over beat!
7. Spoon batter into cupcake liners, filling each cup 2/3 full.
8. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting, around 1 hour.




Cream Cheese Frosting:

 (you will want to double up on this recipe if frosting the cupcakes in above recipe!)

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes.

Hey there, good lookin'.