I recently started taking Wilton’s Basic Cake Decorating Class. I will post all about the course once I finish it next week. As a result of taking the course, I have gotten back in touch with my first love in cooking – baking cakes. Every week I have been trying out new recipes as I have not done that in a while. For the third week of the four week course, I needed to have 6 cupcakes. I also had a dinner party to attend. I thought I would take some homemade goodies for the hostess and at the same time have my class requirements met as well since the class I signed up for met on Mondays. After scouring the ends of the jungle that is internet, I decided upon Joy of Baking’s Red Velvet Cupcakes. They have a handy video to go with their recipe, which is always an added bonus. I did make some slight changes to the recipe – mainly for ingredient substitution. I share with you the modified recipe as well the end result. I know this recipe is a keeper as before this my husband had a strict dislike for red velvet cake. Now he has changed his mind 🙂

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Makes 24 regular sized cupcakes.

Ingredients:
2  ½ cup minus 5 tbsp shifted self-rising flour (the flour is shifted prior to measuring)
½  teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons regular cocoa powder
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups castor sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoon liquid red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Pre-heat oven at 350 F. Line muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners.

In a bowl large enough sift flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt. In a separate bowl, large enough for the cake batter, beat butter until soft using a stand mixer or a hand mixer. Add sugar to butter and mix until it is light and fluffy. Add egg (one at a time) and beat until well mixed. Now add vanilla extract and beat further until well mixed. If necessary, use a spatula to scrap the sides of the bowl so that all ingredients are being mixed evenly.

Now add a third of the flour mixture to the batter and beat in low speed until well incorporated. Add half of the butter milk and continue beating until well mixed. Add a second third of the flour and continue beating at low speed. Add the rest of the butter milk and beat again. Add the last third of the flour mixture and beat until all ingredients are mixed well and batter is smooth. Add the food colour and beat until the colour is evenly distributed.

In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda and as the mixture starts to fizz, quickly add to the cake batter. Using a spatula, fold in the vinegar-baking soda mixture into the batter. Now quickly place batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3^rd of the liner or less. Place the muffin trays on the middle rack of the oven and bake until toothpick inserted in the centre of the cupcakes comes out clean – about 18-25 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack.

For my hostess gift, I iced them with the cream cheese frosting recipe found on the Joy of Baking website. (Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of these)

At home I devoured the cupcakes with homemade White Chocolate Ganache accompanied by a cold glass of soy milk. Recipe can be found here https://twistedcheft.com/2013/01/26/white-chocolate-ganache/.

Here is a sneak peak at what I have been up to at my cake decorating class.