Woo Red Velvet! The chocolate cupcake dyed red! There's definitely more to this mysterious red being though. A perfect red velvet cupcake needs to be as moist and smooth as velvet (which I'm not sure if velvet is moist but let's roll with it), there's just that hint of chocolate, and it's all topped with a perfect cream cheese frosting. Yum!
This month is my birthday! Therefore I am eating all of the baked goods and not feeling sorry about it one bit. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you will know that this is the first dessert in my birthday month series! Woo! If you don't subscribe, um why the hell not??, this is the first dessert in my birthday month series! Woo! For the month of March, every week I will be posting a new dessert. Which means I'll be gaining weight this month and trying my hardest to counteract that with more exercise but who can workout with a tummy full of cupcakes I ask you?
Anyways, if you subscribe to my newsletter you will also know that I pulled my neck earlier this week. Birthdays mean getting older meaning I need an oil can just to roll myself out of bed. So somewhere during my long contemplation of my life while my neck was frozen to one side (luckily it was the side facing the window), I thought about how I need to have more fun. Call it a quarter-century plus two year life crisis. But for me that means eating more sugar among other things. Hence, the birthday month series was born!
Would it be wrong of me to say that before this recipe I had never had a Red Velvet Cupcake before? Insert monkey covering mouth emoji. I know it's seriously shocking and maybe I have no place making Red Velvet Cupcakes except for the fact that after I made these I was crowned best Red Velvet Cupcake maker in the land. Well by my boyfriend at least. And they were seriously so good. How you ask I have never had one before? Well back in the day, they weren't as popular as they are now and I had been diagnosed with Celiac and store-bought gluten-free baked goods were just not good and the rest was history. But I've always wanted one! And here they are! And they were surprisingly easy, I used the same mixing bowl for the cake plus the frosting (washing between uses of course) but I really didn't make a mess and I seriously cannot turn down some homemade cream cheese frosting.
So without much further ado! I bring to you Red Velvet Cupcakes! And be sure to stay tuned next week for another baked treat!
Adapted from Averie Cooks
Ingredients:
1 egg
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tbsp vanilla Greek yogurt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups Gluten-Free Flour or regular flour
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1-2 tbsp red liquid food color or 1 tbsp gel
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature
2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups confectioner's sugar
Splash of milk, if necessary
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F and line a cupcake try with paper liners.
2. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, mix together the egg, sugar, buttermilk, canola oil, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract until smooth.
2. Add in the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda until completely combined but do not overbeat.
3. Whisk in the red food coloring.
4. Pour about 2 tbsp of batter into each cupcake liner and bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
5. Once cupcakes are done, let stand to cool completely before frosting at least 45 minutes to an hour.
6. To make the frosting: Wash out the stand mixer bowl and dry. Whisk together cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and sugar. Splash milk into the frosting if not smooth enough.
7. Once cupcakes are cool, frost them and serve! Enjoy!
