I don’t know about you, but I feel like the entire world is obsessed with red velvet. There’s red velvet cake, cupcakes, cheesecakes, brownies, etc. It’s EVERYWHERE. I personally attribute it’s success to the cream cheese frosting. Sure, the red cake is cute and all, but the real star of the show is the frosting. So, anyways, let’s get into these red velvet cupcakes.
But, before I go rambling on about it’s success, let’s talk about why it started. I’m sure you’ve heard it a thousand times, but let me refresh your memory. Cocoa powder, vinegar and buttermilk are key components to a red velvet cake. Without these three ingredients, it isn’t a true red velvet cake. The chemical reaction between these ingredients give the cake a deep maroon color that is often enhanced by extra food coloring. This is where the Adam’s Extract Company comes in. Apparently, John A. Adams first ate the red velvet cake at the Waldorf hotel. Owning a food coloring company himself, he was inspired by the name and began selling pre-packaged baking kits with red dye, cake mix, and frosting mix. These became wildly popular and soon took over Texas and most of the south. Now, red velvet is anywhere and everywhere, and thank goodness it is!
What kind of cocoa is best? Does it matter?
Up until about 4 years ago, I had no concept of “types” of cocoa. To me, there was Hershey’s 100% Natural Cocoa and most often, Aldi brand cocoa. I later learned that both of these are natural cocoa powders and that there was a whole world of chocolate flavor out there to explore. I went through many brands and types of cocoa powders, learning about dutch-processed, blends, black cocoa, and even cacao powder. In the end, I concluded that I preferred dutch-processed, which made me re-evaluate just how I bake my recipes.
Though I prefer dutch-processed, it is imperative that you use NATURAL cocoa powder for red velvet cakes. Different cocoa powders have different pH levels, meaning they react differently depending on what kind of leavener you are using. For this recipe you cannot swap for a different cocoa powder. The reaction of the natural cocoa powder with the buttermilk and vinegar cannot be repeated with any other type but natural. But, lucky for my American readers, natural cocoa powder is what is most common in the United States, so this does not pose too much of an issue.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1½ cups Cake Flour
- 3 tablespoons Natural Cocoa Powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ cup Vegetable Oil
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- ¾ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- ¾ cup Buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Red Food Coloring Gel
For the Frosting:
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter softened to room temperature
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese
- 3 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with muffin wrappers.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the vegetable oil, sugars, egg, vanilla, vinegar, and red food coloring. Whisk to thoroughly combine. Add the dry ingredients and whisk no streaks of flour remain. Do not over-mix.
- Add the batter to the cupcake pan, filling each cupcake tin ⅔ of the way full. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool before frosting.
For the Frosting:
- Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Make sure the butter is at room temperature at this point, you do not want cold butter. Add the powdered sugar, slowly beating in one cup at a time until fully incorporated. Add the salt and vanilla and beat until mixed. Whip on high speed for 2 minutes until smooth and light and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag and frost your cooled cupcakes.
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