Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes:

Yes, it was a definite craving.  I had been glancing through the cookbooks and I saw the recipe and thought, well, the blackberry frosting was a little too sweet, what about Red Velvet?  It had a Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting.  After all, the Espresso Buttercream Frosting I had made from Trophy was to die for.  It got rave reviews.  RAVE. REVIEWS.

Red Velvet came from the Trophy book as did the Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting.

On the way home from work I stopped at Publix (my favorite grocery store!) and bought buttermilk, cream cheese, and cake flour.  I knew I had red food coloring.  Why did I have it.  I don't know.  Why are you asking such things.  I just have it.  OK?  For a red velvet emergency, like NOW!

Red Food Coloring

People, make sure that you buy two bottles of red food coloring!  It takes one whole bottle of 2 oz, red food coloring to make this recipe for 24 cupcakes.  I am serious.  Here I am thinking I am a genius hoarding red food coloring and I have barely enough!  I need to go get more in case I suddenly have a bunch of people over and they want red velvet cupcakes, because these cupcakes will rock your world. Trust me on this.  Get a couple of bottles and hide them in the fridge. Just not in the cheese drawer. Don't ask.

Anyway, the thing about Jennifer Shea is that she is a very complicated baker.  Her recipes are very easy to follow, but you better make sure you read them all the way through at least once, if not twice.

This is not something I usually do.  I sometimes don't follow all the instructions thinking I know what's coming up.  This can be a problem.  But I do this for Jennifer.  I also know to leave EVERYTHING out and to let EVERYTHING come to room temperature.  

This is another thing that is VERY hard for me to do.  To wait. For something to get warm.  When I could just use it NOW.  

But I have to deny myself and WAIT because a room temperature egg is better than a cold egg. Again, trust me on this one.

So, I set all the ingredients out on the counter and went to read.  That is relaxing.  And wait for warming.  And then I heard this licking sound.  A really awful lapping, licking sound. And one of my labs comes around the corner with this look on his face like, "Oh my God! That wasn't MILK!"

Photo of buttermilk out on counter with drops of buttermilk all around it from dog slurping.

Seems he had countersurfed and gotten a big snootful of buttermilk and didn't like it so much.  

There goes the partially WARM buttermilk into the sink.  I have to clean out that container, get a whole new cold measurement of buttermilk out.  SIGH.  Labs.  

Everyone on a tie-down.

Baking Soda

Eventually everything is warm and ready to go.  The only really weird thing is that Jennifer wants you to this bit of chemistry at the end of the recipe.  With vinegar and baking soda.  Silly me, I get out baking soda and put it in a cup, then I get some vinagar: Whooosh!!!!

Me: "OHHHHH! That's what she means." Duh.

Clean spoon. Start again.  Baking soda in one cup, vinegar in a clean spoon and then pour it in a clean cup.  Transfer to the other counter.  Then I start to put in the dry and wet ingredients.  I'm looking around for a cup to put in the dry ingredients.  

You guessed it.  I grabbed the one with the baking soda in it.  

Sigh.  

When it came time for the Vinegar and the baking soda:

Me: "Hey, where's the baking soda?"

Long pause. Significant look at cup.

Me:  "Crap."

Longer Pause.

Me: "I wonder if I can use more baking soda?"

I did.  They came out great.  But I think if I baked them a little less.  And if I used the right amount of baking soda they would be amazing!

Finished product.

I rate them 5 cupcakes!!