Monday, February 27, 2012

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Normally I do not do a lot of baking for the simple fact that I am not very good at being given a limitation for my ingredients.  The way I love to cook is a little more of this, a little more of that.  Plainly speaking, I don't measure things out very well.  


However, my cousin, recently, called and has asked me to make some mini red velvet cupcakes for her birthday.  I couldn't tell her no, so I have been practicing some recipes and found one I liked.  


Originally, I went over to my cousin's house and we spent the latter part of a morning trying out one recipe.  While the cupcakes came out very moist and delicious, they did not come out of the wrapper.  This causes a problem when serving at a birthday party.  So what I did was I called my best friend, the baker, and asked for some advice.  She said that while the white vinegar used in red velvet cake is normally a staple it does not really  add any flavor to your cupcakes and only adds to the fluffiness.  (Good word!!)  Fluffy, while good, is not beneficiary when your cupcake crumbles while being pulled out of it's wrapper.


In conclusion, what I did, being the genius I am, got online, found a great recipe, and changed it a little.  I used Paula Deen's recipe because I have heard she makes the best red velvet, and it was easy.  The original recipe can be found here.   



  • 2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 c sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 c vegetable oil
  • 1 c buttermilk, cold
  • 2 large eggs, cold
  • 1 tsp red gel-paste food coloring
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line your first mini muffin pan with cupcake papers and spray with Pam.  (The Pam will help the cupcakes come out of the wrapper once they are finished.)  

2.  In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with the paddle attachment.  Add the sifted ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.  

3.  Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the batter into each paper wrapper.  This recipe makes about 5 dozen cupcakes, so unless you have that many muffin tins, you may have to bake these in batches, like I did.  Bake in the oven about 10-15 min until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.




Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 stick butter, softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp maple syrup
  • 2 c sifted powdered sugar

1.  In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and maple syrup together until smooth.  On low speed, add the sugar, 1/2 c at a time until incorporated.  Increase the speed and mix until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  

2.  Frost the cupcakes how you would like.  I am not good at this part, but I do suggest cutting a small to medium hole in a Ziploc bag to make a piping bag.  If you have tips, they can be inserted here instead of having to buy more bags.  


3.  I added candy sprinkles to mine, but feel free to use nuts, fruit, or even plastic signs that say "Happy Birthday".  Haha!  ENJOY!!


No comments:

Post a Comment