Day Dreaming

A little secret about me . . .

For quite some time now I've dreamed of owning my own bakery.  A quaint hole-in-the-wall serving old fashioned treats.  Freshly frosted cakes, warm doughnuts, buttery-rich scones, chewy chocolate brownies and stacks of cookies.  I envision people sitting at the counter, shoulder to shoulder, sharing friendly banter, reading the paper, sipping coffee and indulging in a comforting afternoon treat.  Idyllic and simple. Cupcakes would surely be the main event, displayed neatly in rows from within my shiny glass display case. Delicious flavors made with all-natural and organic ingredients, loaded with butter and scratch-baked with love.  Well, needless to say, a cupcake bakery is no longer a unique concept. Brilliant, yes, but not unique.  Nonetheless, I have spent the last five years of my life trying to perfect my many personal cupcake recipes.  This has slowly evolved from a passionate hobby to an obsession.  I bake a lot of cupcakes and enjoy every minute of it.  One of my favorite flavors, and a proven hit with my taste-tester friends, is the classic red velvet cupcake.  Slightly tangy from fresh buttermilk and sweet from the soft cream cheese frosting, this cupcake really has it all. There are many variations on the red velvet cake recipe and even more stories as to how the recipe originated.  I choose to make mine with a little bit of cocoa powder, but, of course, there is no right or wrong way to make these.  The use of red food coloring (I know, I know, not exactly "all-natural") makes the red in red velvet.  Man, are they red.  And oh so satisfying.  Who knows, maybe one day I'll have that bakery.  And these would surely be on the menu.

BTW:  Two pioneers of the cupcake bakery explosion, Sugar Sweet Sunshine and Sprinkles, make my absolute favorite bakery cupcakes.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 12 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

1 1/2 sticks softened unsalted butter
1 cup sugar

2 L eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp vinegar
1 oz red food coloring

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp good cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz softened cream cheese 

1/2 stick softened unsalted butter

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp pure almond extract

1/4 tsp kosher salt

4 cups powdered sugar (or to your liking)

Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and move oven rack to the center position.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

In a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer with a large bowl) beat butter and sugar on low speed until light in color and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until each egg is incorporated. Scrape the bowl with a plastic spatula, making sure all of the ingredients are evenly combined. With the mixer off, add the vanilla, vinegar and red food coloring, being very careful not to splatter yourself.  On the lowest speed, mix until incorporated.  Scrape the bowl again.

With the mixer on low, add half of the flour mixture.  Once the flour is just incorporated, add the buttermilk.  Then add the remaining flour mixture, being sure not to over mix.  Turn off the mixer and gently mix the batter with your spatula to make sure everything is evenly incorporated.

Line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners and fill each liner 2/3 of the way full.  I prefer to use an ice-cream scoop to distribute the batter which ensures that all of my cupcakes are the same size.  Bake for 20-24 minutes or until the tops just barely spring back when gently pushed.  Be sure not to over-bake.

Allow cupcakes to sit on a wire rack until completely cooled.  Generously top each cake with cream cheese frosting (see below).

Frosting:

Using a hand mixer, blend the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl until creamy and combined. Add salt, vanilla and almond extract.  Mix until combined.  Slowly add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition until completely combined.  Eventually, your frosting should be the consistency of slightly softened ice-cream.  The amount of sugar needed may be a bit more or less than suggested above, depending on the softness of your butter and cream cheese.  

Tip:  To ensure that your butter, eggs, buttermilk and cream cheese are all at room temperature, leave them out on your counter overnight.

Red food coloring puts the red in red velvet.

These cupcake liners remind me of Paris.

An ice cream scoop makes the perfect cupcake every time.

Top your mini cakes with that delicious, creamy frosting.

Anytime is the right time for a cupcake.