Faerie Enchantment

Red Velvet Cupcakes for Art Opera Pre-Party!

I hosted a Favor & Fun Pre-Party for Art Opera, some of the ladies came over to help make the badges, candy cones & medallions. For the event I decided to make Seaside Red Velvet Cupcakes with creamy vanilla butter cream frosting.

Baking has always been a passion of mine, I'm always on the search for that rare or unique recipe to try, if I can't find what I'm looking for, I'll try and make it from scratch until I get it right.

Red Velvet Cake is a wonderful old fashioned cake that has made a trendy comeback and become a favorite cake taking the baking world by storm over the last 3 years. Everywhere you look the option is: Vanilla Cake, Chocolate Cake or Red Velvet Cake, especially when it comes to cupcakes. These popular favorites are joined w/creamy frosting and sweet decor.

I have had Red Velvet Cake that is so moist, light and delicious, while others have been dry, bitter and average, that includes frosting. To me frosting really tops off the cake with added flavor and just the right blend of sweetness.

There has always been the debate on who makes the best cupcakes, the cupcake wars is what I call it. But what it really comes down to is your own taste buds and what you deem as good, as sweet and delicious, what perks up your taste buds and brings a fabulous ecstasy to them. To me I love my frosting creamy and not too sweet, or bitter, a happy medium of both, while my cake, moist and semi firm.

In the hunt I have found some incredible Red Velvet Cupcakes, some that use buttermilk, some that use vinegar, some with cocoa and with all of the above.
Here is my recipe which combines it all.

Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks butter), softened, at room temperature
2 eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 ounces red food coloring or red coloring from Wilton
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon vinegar (white distilled)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
-Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside.
-In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy using an electric mixer.
-Next add in the eggs one at a time, making sure to mix well each time
-In a small bowl, mix the cocoa and food coloring together with a spoon, then add to the creamed sugar mixture, stir in with spoon.
-Now add half the sifted flour mixture and half the buttermilk to the creamed mixture, then add in the rest of the flour mixture and buttermilk, once mixed, add in vanilla and vinegar.
-Pour batter into cupcake liners nestled inside a cupcake pan, bake for 20 to 25 minutes.


Frosting:
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup melted marshmallow or marshmallow fluff
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
-Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 3 cups of the sugar, the milk and vanilla, beat until smooth and creamy using an electric mixer, (about 5 minutes).

-Add the remaining 3 cups of sugar, 1 cup at a time, make sure to beat well after each addition.

-Melt marshmallows until smooth, remove from heat, add to creamed mixture, blend until the icing is thick enough to spread onto cake.

-Finally stir in some drops of food coloring or a tiny dot of Wilton cake coloring and mix thoroughly, pipe onto your cupcakes using a Wilton cake decorator gun and the 4B Star Point Tip!

Tips:
-Keep in mind oven temperatures vary, so always watch your cake batter through the window of the oven. Opening your oven door too many times to check can cause baking issues from the air flow coming in an out, so make sure you set a timer.

-When filling cupcake liners with batter, if you fill to the top you will have big top muffin style cupcakes, if you fill 1/4 inch below the liner top, you will have normal sized cupcakes with a nice arch.

-Cake flour is a better flour to use.