I tend to steer clear of food dyes in my baking...in fact, I think we would all be a lot better off without many of the additives in our daily diets. But certain holidays, such as Valentine's Day, cause me to relax my otherwise fervid stance.
Because how can I let a year pass without making one of these intensely hued and wonderfully moist cakes? Just seeing a Red Velvet Cake in a bakery front window makes me smile, especially when Valentine's Day is right around the corner.
Rumor has it that Red Velvet Cakes were the signature dessert at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City. An audacious fan of the cake, perhaps a baker like myself, asked for the recipe and was presented with a rather exorbitant bill. It seems like the Waldorf Hotel knew they had hit on something irresistible, and in typical New York fashion, they intended to make as much money off of it as they could.
In years to come, a variety of different variations of the cake were published in cookbooks and sold in restaurants and bakeries across the country. Duncan Hines even put Red Velvet into a box. And so, I encourage you, at least once or twice this year, to put aside your fears about Red Food Dye and make this delicious cake. Perhaps next fall, when beets are in season, I'll try to make the cake the good old-fashioned way...and I won't have to justify at all!
In years to come, a variety of different variations of the cake were published in cookbooks and sold in restaurants and bakeries across the country. Duncan Hines even put Red Velvet into a box. And so, I encourage you, at least once or twice this year, to put aside your fears about Red Food Dye and make this delicious cake. Perhaps next fall, when beets are in season, I'll try to make the cake the good old-fashioned way...and I won't have to justify at all!
Red Velvet Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of butter (room temperature)
2 eggs
2 1/3 cups of Cake Flour (King Arthur has a great version that is unbleached)
2 TBSP cocoa powder (Dutch processed if possible)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of buttermilk
1 1/2 TBSP red food coloring
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp white vinegar
1. In a large bowl, cream together your sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together your flour, cocoa powder, soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Add buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar to your butter mixture and beat until combined. Gradually add flour mixture to wet mixture, stirring well after each addition.
5. Using an ice-cream scooper, equally distribute batter into cupcake papers, filling 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of butter (room temperature)
2 eggs
2 1/3 cups of Cake Flour (King Arthur has a great version that is unbleached)
2 TBSP cocoa powder (Dutch processed if possible)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of buttermilk
1 1/2 TBSP red food coloring
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp white vinegar
1. In a large bowl, cream together your sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together your flour, cocoa powder, soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Add buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar to your butter mixture and beat until combined. Gradually add flour mixture to wet mixture, stirring well after each addition.
5. Using an ice-cream scooper, equally distribute batter into cupcake papers, filling 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8 oz package of cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 stick of butter (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 cups of powdered sugar.
1. In a bowl, cream together the butter and the cream cheese for about three minutes.
2. Add vanilla extract and mix. Add the powdered sugar and taste frequently (isn't that great!) until your frosting has reached your desired sweetness. Spread or pipe over cooled cupcakes.
1 8 oz package of cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 stick of butter (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 cups of powdered sugar.
1. In a bowl, cream together the butter and the cream cheese for about three minutes.
2. Add vanilla extract and mix. Add the powdered sugar and taste frequently (isn't that great!) until your frosting has reached your desired sweetness. Spread or pipe over cooled cupcakes.
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