Red Velvet Cupcakes

Today, I am doing a CakeSlice Bakers post and the cake as you can so vividly see is red velvet. It’s funny as I never really cared for red velvet cake or rather I should say- I never thought I cared for red velvet cake. It is not even so much that I did not like it, but rather I found it quite bland, boring and simply unmemorable.  Growing up in Canada, I don’t think I even ever  saw it at a bakery. I mean we had a lot of French and Swiss pastry shop around us but red velvet was not on the menu.   Now while I try to blame my never having tasted authentic red velvet cake on being from Canada,  if you read up on red velvet you will find that Eatons actually used to carry it and it was their signature dish. So go figure. But apart from that little anomoly, I do believe it is a southern specialty.

It was not until I moved to Florida that I actually tried it and admittedly when I was not all that impressed. However, after trying this recipe I am pretty confident I have probably never tried an authentic red velvet cake recipe.  I’m not sure if this recipe is authentic, but it is really really good and I will admit that there are not that many recipes that I file under the ‘make again’ category but this I would definitely make again. Overall, I was impressed with both the texture and flavor and if you are looking for a red velvet recipe, I would definitely encourage you to try this recipe.

The Only thing I may change next time would be to try it with a cream cheese frosting which I think I may prefer.  Though, don’t get me wrong the coconut and walnuts added a lot of texure and flavor to this icing. Also, as you can see I made mine into cupcakes as I am going through a cupcake phase but this is a cake recipe that I adapted.

Recipe 

(Recipe adapted from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott)

For the Red Velvet Cake

2½ cups all purpose flour

½ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk (see note below)

2 tbsp cocoa powder (I doubled this)

2 tbsp red food coloring

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1½ tsp baking soda

1 tbsp cider vinegar or white vinegar    

For the Coconut Pecan Icing

1 cup milk

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

*makes 24 cupcakes

 Directions:

Red Velvet Cake

1. Pre- heat the oven to 350F. Prepare cupcakes pans.

2. Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl and use a fork to mix them together well.

 3. Combine the cocoa powder and the red food coloring in a small bowl, mashing and stirring them together to make a thick smooth paste.

 4. In a mixer bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and then beat well for 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each one until the mixture is creamy, fluffy and smooth. Add the cocoa powder/food coloring mix. Then start adding  the flour mixture while alternating with the milk.

 5. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and vinegar and stir well. Add to batter and fold gently.

 6. Bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes until the layers are spring back when touched lightly in the centre and are just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pans.

Coconut Pecan Icing

1. Combine the milk and flour in a small or medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking or stirring often until the mixture forms into a thick paste. Let cool.

 2. Beat the butter with a mixture at high speed until light and fluffy. Add the sugar in thirds, beating and mix until the mixture is creamy and fairly smooth.

 3. Add the cooled milk and flour mixture and beat for 1 to 2 minutes. Using a large spoon add all the other ingredients.

4.  Cool the icing for about 30 minutes before using. When cakes are completely cool, ice the cakes.

Enjoy!