Homemade Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe

Wondering what to prepare for dessert when you're having guests? Why don't you try baking small red velvet cupcakes? This is sure to impress your guests. Their bright red color will definitely make them hog the limelight. You don't have to worry about decorating these cakes; their normal color combination makes them stand apart.

This cake's a part of southern tradition; but it's equally popular in North America and other parts of the world. Many say the red colour's derived from beet or strawberries; but chefs who know their red velvet cakes assert that the bright red is a result of cocoa reacting to the acidic nature of buttermilk. Though these ingredients are important, we'll also have to include a generous portion of red food colouring to achieve the desired color.

There are interesting references to this cake through history. Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York was supposed to make the best red velvet cakes in the 1920's. They are reported to have charged a huge bill to a woman who wanted its recipe. Soon their treasured recipe was no longer secret because the piqued customer circulated the recipe through chain letters. Several bakeries were known for their red velvet cakes.

Today, baking red velvet cupcakes is a favourite Valentine's Day dish. Small hearts of rich red cake is a great way to show your love. Traditionally red velvet cakes were decorated with cooked roux frosting; now most people use cream cheese frosting that's just as popular. Here's my recipe for a fine, moist red velvet cupcake -

You'll need -

* All-purpose flour -15 half ounces

* Baking soda -1 ¼ tsp

* Salt - 1¼ tsp

* Unsweetened cocoa powder -1 ¼ tsp

* Vegetable oil - 1½ cup

* Powdered sugar - 13 Oz

* Buttermilk - 1¼ cups

* Eggs - 3

* Red food colouring - 2 ½ tbsp

* Vinegar -1 ¼ tsp

* Vanilla extract - 1¼ tsp

* Water - 1/8 cup

Recipe -

Preheat your oven to 350oF. Combine flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa and pass through a sieve. Blend oil, sugar, buttermilk, eggs, food colouring, vinegar, vanilla and water. Add the flour mix slowly and stir carefully.

Take 16 cupcake liners and spoon out the batter into the cups. Bake for about 20-30 minutes till the cake passes the toothpick test. Let the cupcakes cool.

Let's prepare the frosting now.

You'll need -

* Cream cheese - 1 ½ lbs

* Softened butter - 1 lb

* Powdered sugar - 2 lbs

* Vanilla - 1 tbsp

To prepare -

Beat butter with cream cheese thoroughly till you get a smooth cream. Mix in granulated sugar little by little and blend well. Now, mix the vanilla extract. Use this mixture for frosting the cupcakes.

Admire your cupcakes on the dinner table; looking like emperors dressed in red velvet cloaks!