Southern Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour three 9 by 1 1/2-inch round cake pans.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
• Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.
• Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely.
• Frost the cake. Place 1 layer, rounded-side down, in the middle of a rotating cake stand. Using a palette knife or offset spatula spread some of the Cream Cheese Frosting over the top of the cake. (Spread enough frosting to make a 1/4 to 1/2-inch layer.) Carefully set another layer on top, rounded-side down, and repeat. Top with the remaining layer and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with the pecans.
• In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.)
• Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Steps:

• Cupcakes
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line one 12-cup muffin tin and half of a second 12-cup tin with paper liners and lightly spray the tops of the tins with nonstick spray. Have all the ingredients at room temperature before you begin.
• Cream the granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes (see Know-how, page 315). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
• Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl and stir to mix. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour mixture, stopping to scrape down the bowl several times and stirring just until all is incorporated. Do not overmix. Stir in the vinegar and food coloring, if using, until thoroughly blended.
• Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins using a 1/4-cup measure or ice cream scoop to fill each cup about three-quarters full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until springy to the touch and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.
• Frosting
• Cream the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time and cream until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix until blended.
• Using a spatula or pastry bag and tip, spread or pipe the frosting on the cupcakes and serve.
• Chew on this: About Red Velvet Cake
• Although the origins of red velvet cake are up for debate, the cake has been around since long before the popularization of commercially produced food coloring, in the 1950s and 1960s. In fact, the cake's red tint was most likely initially the result of a chemical reaction sparked by mixing acidic buttermilk and vinegar with natural cocoa powder. (The acid also had the effect of softening the cake's crumb.) Over the years, the color was intensified with beets and, finally, the red food coloring that is most often used today.
• Sara's Swaps
• Damon Lee Fowler, my friend and expert on all things Southern, makes a brown velvet cake in which he simply omits the food coloring. Because I don't typically keep food coloring in my pantry, I often follow his lead with this recipe, and both versions are equally tasty. But the bright color is a true crowd-pleaser, especially among kids.
• Know-how: Piping Frosting on the Fly
• You don't need a pastry bag and tip handy to pipe frosting. Just snip the bottom corner off a plastic sandwich bag and use a spatula to fill the bag with frosting. Use the bag as you would a pastry bag, pushing the frosting out through the hole in the corner to create swirls or rosettes.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F Line mini cupcake or muffin pans with 48 mini cupcake liners or line regular-size cupcake or muffin pans with 24 regular cupcake liners.
• In mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. In another mixing bowl, stir together the eggs and oil. In a mixing cup, mix together the buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla extract and lightly whisk. Gradually add the dry ingredients and buttermilk mixture to the egg mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. We are trying to achieve a dark brown, red cupcake color, so add more cocoa powder if the red is not deep enough. Then add the batter to the mini cupcake liner until they are 3/4-full and bake for 13 to 14 minutes, or until done. Alternately, fill the regular-size cupcake liners and bake 22 minutes, or until done. Let the cupcakes cool completely.
• CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:.
• Combine the sugar, cream cheese, butter, salt, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl and blend for 2 minutes.
• NOTES:.
• For the garnish; sprinkle red-colored sugar over the cupcakes, then roll-out a prepared fondant and cut out hearts or desired shape and decorate with red piping gel.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
• Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting.
• Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese, softened, butter, sour cream and McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 10 inch round pans.
• Cream 1/2 cup of shortening, 1 1/2 cups of white sugar, eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon of butter flavored extract in a large bowl. Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring in a small bowl and add to shortening mixture. Pour in 2 1/2 cups flour alternately with the buttermilk, mixing until just incorporated. Mix 1 teaspoon of salt, baking soda, and vinegar in a small bowl, and while fizzing fold into the batter; mixing just enough to evenly combine. Pour the batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
• To make frosting: Cook 3 tablespoons of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and milk in a skillet over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Let cool completely. Cream butter, 1 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup shortening in a separate bowl. Stir in 2 teaspoons each of vanilla extract and butter flavored extract. Then add flour mixture to bowl and cream together. Frost cooled cake.