Red Velvet Cupcakes

While this post may appear to be about the cupcakes, the star of this creation is really the frosting. Before making this recipe, I had only eaten red velvet cake once before. Since I'm not a big fan of artificial coloring, I was hesitant to make it, but when Valentine's Day came around, the desire for lots of red just overwhelmed me and I gave in...

 For the cake, which was very moist and very red:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 2 - 4 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

This recipe makes about 24-27 cupcakes, or a two-layer 9" round cake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pans or fill cupcake pans with paper liners.

Cream shortening and sugar together very well. Add eggs and beat well.

Make a paste of cocoa and red food coloring. (NOTE: the original recipe I found said to use 4 tablespoons, which I used. The cupcakes were bright red, and ended up having a slight aftertaste that I attribute to the massive amount of artificial coloring. I'd recommend starting with a lesser amount of color, and then if you don't get the desired red tint, or the cake doesn't seem moist enough, add more sparingly.)

Add paste to shortening & sugar mixture.

Mix salt, vanilla, and buttermilk together. Alternate adding this & the flour into the creamed mixture.

Now here's the fun part: mix baking soda and vinegar together. Add gently to cake, and fold into batter. Be careful, and work quickly! This is what actually causes the cake to rise, so you don't want to delay too long after adding these to get your cake into the oven.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes. Check every 2-3 minutes thereafter. If you bake this cake too long, it will be very dry, so check it early and check it often. (I know this goes against conventional wisdom about the cake falling when you open the oven door, but I didn't seem to experience any adverse effects.) 

For the most amazing icing I've ever tasted in my life:

• 5 tablespoons of flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flour & milk, and cook over low heat until thick, stirring constantly. This process takes a while. You want it thick enough to form a paste, with no runny liquid to be seen. Once thick, remove from heat and allow to cool completely at room temperature.

Cream sugar, butter, and vanilla together for 10-20 minutes. WHAT? I'm sure you must think this is overkill, but trust me - this recipe uses granular sugar, not confectioner's sugar like most frosting recipes. Creaming the mixture for such a long time helps eliminate any sugar grit in the finished product, and makes the frosting extra light. (Thank goodness for my Kitchenaid! I put it on to cream and then was able to wash almost all of my baking dishes AND frost another batch of cupcakes while I waited for this mixture to fully cream.)

Add flour mixture (now completely cool) to sugar mixture, and beat until a good consistency. (If you add them together before the flour mixture cools, your frosting will be runny!)

Put onto a completely cooled cake, and enjoy! This icing is incredibly light, and many people have suggested it is the traditional frosting for red velvet cake (as opposed to the popular cream cheese frosting, which is really best for carrot cakes and spice cakes). I thought the lightness of the frosting helped highlight the moistness and cocoa flavor in the red velvet cupcakes. It melts on your tongue, and was absolutely divine. If you're willing to put the work into it, it's well worth it!