The time has definitely come to post again. For Valentine's Day this year, the fiance and I are having a lovely dinner at home and enjoying each other's company. I've been thinking a lot about our Valentine's celebration last year, when we lived 450 miles apart, and I think I prefer this year's celebration infinitely better. He had a gig the night before and I had to teach on the Monday following, so we ended up meeting in the middle and walking around a mall. We had a nice dinner at a certain Australian restaurant, but having to drive to our respective cities alone afterwards was quite a let-down.
My Valentine's present to the fiance is a meal of his favorites, so that means lasagna, and also Red Velvet Cupcakes for dessert. I'll eat ANYTHING that has cream cheese frosting, so the Red Velvet Cupcakes were a double positive. I do have a wedding dress to start thinking about fitting into, so I used a recipe from Cooking Light to help make these a little less guilt-inducing. The end result is moist, delicious, and gorgeously red, oh and did I mention, CREAM CHEESE FROSTING?! That alone is make-your-knees-weak delicious. All in all, this recipe is getting filed away for many, many future uses. So enough with the backstory and on to the recipe!
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cake flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Place 24 cup liners in muffin pan, coat with cooking spray.
3. Combine cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir with a whisk.
4. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl, beat until blended (about 3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add flour and buttermilk alternately to the sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
6. Add vinegar, vanilla, and food coloring; beat well.
7. Spoon into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
8. Cool in pan for 10 minutes on wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 teaspoons buttermilk
1 8 oz block cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1. Beat butter, buttermilk, and cream cheese with mixer on high until fluffy.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar; beat until smooth.
3. Add vanilla; beat well.
I know how you feel about that eating the meal before you photograph it. I realized that I had done 2 experimental recipes over the weekend that would have been perfect, but I either consumed it before I took pictures, or I realized that I should have started taking pictures 5 minutes ago but my hands were already covered in goo.
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