Red Velvet Cupcake

Red velvet cupcake

Each recipe is clearly explained and includes a photo. Baking instructions are concise with a chapter detailing the ingredients, baking tools and equipment and their purposes for baking success.

Interspersed throughout are tidbits and memories that inspired many of her desserts and delightful stories, especially one pertaining to a marriage proposal.

With so many fabulous recipes I want to make, I began with the first one in the book, the Red Velvet Cupcake. Our family gave it very high marks!

I think The Sprinkles Baking Book is a perfect gift for a new bride and beginner baker or for anyone who enjoys sharing love from the kitchen as well as the experienced baker. I will be busy baking my way through this lovely cookbook.

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RED VELVET CUPCAKE

PRINT RECIPE

MAKES 12 CUPCAKES

Having grown up in Oklahoma, my husband insisted we add red velvet, his familiar favorite, to the menu. However, most red velvets I’d tried had left me cold. At best, they were made with a teaspoon of cocoa; at worst, they were flavorless lumps altogether devoid of cocoa and distinguished by a shockingly red hue. All right, I told Charles, if I’m going to do red velvet, I’m going to do it my way. So I upped the cocoa quotient with a luxurious Belgian variety, then colored it a deep burgundy red before topping it with a rich cream cheese frosting.

In the early days, many customers came in asking for this mysterious red cupcake with the unfamiliar name—they’d never heard of red velvet! More than a decade later, it has surpassed chocolate and vanilla in popularity. Here, I share the iconic recipe that continues to define Sprinkles to this day.

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2/3 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1¾  teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon red gel food coloring
• 10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs
• Cream Cheese Frosting

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, and food coloring.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, add the eggs one at a time, and beat until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add half the flour mixture, then the buttermilk mixture, then the remaining flour mixture, beating until just blended after each addition.

Divide the batter evenly among the liners and bake until the tops are just dry to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 17 to 19 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before frosting with cream cheese frosting.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

MAKES 2 CUPS

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, slightly softened
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 minutes.

Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, and beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium, add the vanilla, and beat until fully blended, 1 to 2 minutes, making sure not to incorporate too much air into the frosting.

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