Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes. Its about time.

These were some of the cupcakes that I've given away a couple of days ago... I had been collecting numerous recipes, deciding which to bake. I am still unsure whether I liked them. I had high hopes for them, and keep on feeding them to people around me to judge. I think I'll have to tweak the recipe a bit in the future. I found them lacking sweetness. But they were soft and moist, and that is one of the things that are important when finding the perfect recipes for Red Velvet. I am hoping that Ms. Joy enjoyed hers, along with the Chocolate Cupcakes.

It was such a long daaaay, when I met her, I was running on a few hours of sleep because I was baking all night long! I had to make sure that they were fresh, moist and soft when I gave them away.

Am I getting better at taking photos? I hope so. I still have a long way to go in decorating cupcakes though! Its a bit embarrassing. I should really get some piping bags... but I wanted to learn how to make swirls using a simple palette knife.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

from Pinch My Salt

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour*

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 oz. red food coloring (two bottles)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.  In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go.  Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

4. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda.  Yes, it will fizz!  Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake cups with cake batter (they should be 2/3 – 3/4 full).  You may not fill all the cups, I ended up with 20 cupcakes.  Place muffin tins on the middle rack of a preheated 350 degree oven.  Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check early and don’t overbake!

5. Cool the cupcakes in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes

I've been away from the internet for some time, busying myself with being a mom and a wife... and taking baking orders from some friends and my husband's colleagues! Its been quite a ride, and I'm utterly astonished and very happy at how things are going. The positive feedback I have been getting from my clients give me hope that I can do this, despite my lack of "credentials". It is only February, and it is already a eventful two months! I am in high hopes for my 2012 to be the year I would be able to do what I love. No matter how hard it may be.

I panic as any normal person would without the experience, and making chocolate cupcakes for a client, my sister has been a day I possibly might never forget. It was my first order for cupcakes, and my first time to pipe a personal customized message on them! They weren't as pretty as "professional" cupcakes are, but I am constantly learning.

These cupcakes were light and fluffy. I initially was scared that they did not have enough chocolate to them, the recipe I was looking at only called for a cup. So I had added 2/3 more, and a tablespoon of cocoa to be sure. I've changed so much from the recipe that it is more of my own now. They weren't very fudgey, but it was delicious! Hubby and I couldn't help but close our eyes and "mm mm!" to ourselves while devouring them. Its very hard to stop myself from taking another cupcake, I've already gained some weight and I need to cut down on sweets and rice!

I still have not perfected the whipped ganache, but if you have a recipe in cups. Please do hit the comments! Its so difficult converting grams to cups, since I don't have a weighing scale!

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes
Makes about 3 dozen cupcakes

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup - 1 tbsp sugar
1 cup - 1 tbsp packed brown sugar
4 eggs
1 2/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate, melted
1 tbsp cocoa
1 cup buttermilk (I used half evaporate milk, half full cream milk + 1 tbsp vinegar)
2 cups cake flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda

In an electric mixer, cream the soft butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add the melted chocolate, and mix well. Add the vanilla and pour in half of the buttermilk. Add flour and baking soda, carefully so that it doesn't make a mess. Pour in the rest of the buttermilk and mix well until incorporated, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. The mixture will look fluffy and quite yummy to eat (I know, I guiltily ate some. Raw eggs and all). Scoop into muffin pan with cupcake liners, about 3/4 full. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.

Whipped Chocolate Ganache

300 grams heavy cream
3/4 cup chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate

Bring the heavy cream to a boil and pour over chocolate. Mix slowly until chocolate is melted and incorporated with the cream. Let it cool completely. Whip until ganache is thick.

Valentines is coming up! What do you have planned for yourself or with your loved ones? We'll be celebrating it a day late!

P.S: I've added Disqus in the blog, it seems to have wiped all previous comments. But I'm hoping it works, especially on my computer, since it usually has problems loading on mine.