Saturday, 13 February 2010

• Perfect Cupcakes for Valentine's Day

  
  

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  One thing that you should know about me is that I love anything dark red. My phone, waterbottle, nail polish, bedspread....all dark red. I love it because it is associated with so many different emotions and feelings: warm and cozy and Christmas-like, sexy and dramatic, or romantic. With Valentine's Day coming up, I knew I had to make the perfect treat: red velvet cupcakes.
  
  My dad, being the stand-up guy that he is, always manages to surprise my mom by bringing her a huge red velvet cupcake from Magnolia Bakery in New York City. So I knew that their recipe would be the one to emulate. And if you're feeling a little bit lazy, the prepared mixes aren't bad at all...it can be our little secret. I've included the recipe in this post, but the original appears here on the Epicurious Web site.
  
  Ingredients:
  

  • 3 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons red food coloring
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 recipe Creamy Vanilla Frosting

  Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour three 9- by 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.
  2. To make the cake: In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.
  3. In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.
  4. Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans for 1 hour. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.
  5. When the cake has cooled, spread the frosting between the layers, then ice the top and sides of the cake with creamy vanilla frosting.

  What are you making for Valentine's Day? Anything red?
  

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