Alice in Wonderland mania is everywhere at the moment.* Feeling inspired by the Queen of Hearts and her outrageous obsession with all things rouge, I decided that today, my cakes should be red (as one does…). Not only do these cupcakes – which are a sort of cross between a chocolate and vanilla – look decadent (don’t they just need a sign saying ‘Eat Me’?), but they taste gorgeous too! I’m actually not a fan of chocolate or vanilla cakes (invariably too dry and boring), but these are moist, fluffy and luscious.
RED VELVET CUPCAKES
This is a slightly modified version of the Hummingbird Bakery’s version (i’ve added slightly more cocoa and slightly less vinegar – which I couldn’t really taste, but they did taste slightly tart when made to the original recipe). If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to 100ml milk and leave to ‘sour’ for 5 minutes. It is the reaction between the acid and the baking soda which will makes the cupcakes so light and fluffy, and they won’t be the same without plain milk. Makes 12 large cupcakes which will keep for up to 3 days.
Ingredients:
60g unsalted butter (room temperature)
150g caster sugar
1 large egg
20g (4 teaspoons) cocoa powder
20g (4 teaspoons) natural red food colouring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
120ml buttermilk
150g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon (slightly heaped) bicarbonate (baking) soda
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Cream cheese icing
Method:
Preheat oven to 170 degrees. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Slowly add the egg and beat until everything is well mixed.
In a small bowl, mix together cocoa powder, vanilla extract and red colouring to make a thick paste. Add this to the butter mixture and mix until you have an even, red batter. While mixing, slowly add half the buttermilk. Mix, then add half the flour, and mix again. Repeat this step until all the buttermilk and flour have been added and are well mixed. Add the salt, baking soda, and vinegar. Beat again for a couple of minutes until the batter is smooth and evenly combined.
Spoon the mix into a muffin tray lined with paper cases until two-thirds full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the sponge is soft and bounces back when touched (a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean). Leave to cool slightly in the tray and then cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the cream cheese icing, beat 50g butter (room temperature) with approximately 175g icing sugar. Add 200g cream cheese (I use low fat Philadelphia) and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and beat for around 5 minutes, until the mix is light and fluffy. When cupcakes have completely cooled, top with icing.
What is your favourite form of weekend relaxation?
Love, Miss B xx
* Unlike the rest of the planet, I am yet to see Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Next weekend i’m off to Oxford, and figured where better to see the film than in the very place where Lewis Carroll dreamed up his Alice and her wonderland. Nonetheless, this hasn’t prevented me from otherwise coming over a bit Wonderland-esque.
