Red Velvet Cupcakes

Another cake that I never tasted until I moved to the States is the Red Velvet. I heard about the fascination with the deep red cake but never understood it until I took my first bite! What more can you ask for in a cake? It looks pretty in red and it tastes yummy with a hint of cocoa!

I believe the cake originated from the South although there have been rumors that it came from the North. And to answer the question of why and how come it is red? It's meant to be a reaction from 3 ingredients - vinegar, buttermilk and cocoa powder. However, the modern way to bake this cake would also be adding a few drops of red coloring to it.

This cake is usually paired with cream cheese frosting but *horror* I HATE CREAM CHEESE. I contemplated for a long time whether or not I should admit this because all cake lovers go crazy over cream cheese and yet here I am, hating it n not wanting to bake anything with that frosting. I also contemplated giving in and frosting these red velvet cupcakes with its traditional frosting but I threw that out the window at the last min and went with a vanilla buttercream frosting instead. *eeeeks! don't shoot me!*

So for anyone with the red velvet fascination, get baking!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

(bakes 12 cupcakes)

Cupcakes:

- 1 1/4 cups cake flour

- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar

- 3/4 cup vegetable oil

- 1 egg

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 4 teaspoons red coloring

- 1/2 cup buttermilk

- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

Vanilla buttercream frosting:

- 2 sticks unsalted butter

- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tray with paper liners.

2. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa powder and salt and set it aside.

3. In another bowl, whisk together sugar and vegetable oil for about 3 mins.

4. Whisk in the egg.

5. Mix in vanilla extract and red coloring.

6. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions. Mix well after each addition. (Flour - buttermilk - flour - buttermilk - flour)

7. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar (it will foam) and mix it into the batter for 10 secs. Then scoop the batter into the muffin tray.

8. Bake for 20 mins, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool on a wire rack before frosting.

9. Vanilla buttercream frosting: Beat the butter until smooth.

10. Beat in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beat well for 5 mins. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Fill a pastry bag with the buttercream.

11. Frost the completely cooled cupcakes.

12. If you like, you can crush one of the cupcakes to crumbs and sprinkle the crumbs over the cupcakes.

These cupcakes were a hit! And I can safely say I am too, fascinated by the deep red cake!