Friday, February 21, 2014

Red (or Blue) Velvet Cake with Awesome Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe has served me well.  To make it blue velvet, I just substitute blue food coloring for the red.

Red Velvet Cake (Adapted from Alton Brown)

5½       oz       all-purpose flour
4          oz       cake flour
½         oz       natural cocoa
1          t          baking soda
½         t          kosher salt
1          c          low-fat buttermilk, room temperature
1          fl oz     red liquid food coloring
1          T         white vinegar
1          t          vanilla extract
10½    oz        dark brown sugar
8          T        (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2                     large eggs, room temperature

Makes: Two 8” rounds or 24 cupcakes or 48 mini cupcakes

Preheat oven to 325.  Grease, flour, and parchment two 8” rounds or put liners in two cupcake pans.
In a medium  bowl, whisk together flours, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine brown sugar and butter.  Cream on medium speed until fluffy and lightened in color, about 2 minutes.  Scrape down the bowl and beater and return mixer to medium speed.  Add eggs one at a time and beat until fully incorporated.

Reduce speed to low.  Add one third of the flour mixture and blend until just incorporated.  Add half the buttermilk and blend until combined.  Scrape down bowl as necessary and repeat with half the remaining flour mixture and the remainder of the buttermilk mix.  Scrape the bowl down and stir in the last of the flour mixture.  Mix on low until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Give the batter a final stir with a spatula and divide into pans or cupcakes.  Bake until top of cake springs back and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached, about 30-35 minutes for cake and about 15-20 for cupcakes.

Awesome Cream Cheese Frosting (Adapted from Cook’s Country)

16       T    unsalted butter
16       oz   confectioner’s sugar
16       oz   cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces and softened
1.5      t      vanilla extract
                  Pinch   salt

Makes: 4 cups frosting, enough to frost and fill an 8” cake.  Recipe can easily be divided to make two or three cups instead for cupcakes.


In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add cream cheese, one piece at a time and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds.  Beat in vanilla and salt.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Another Tiki Peeki

My first attempt at molded truffles... These guys are dark chocolate and  have a coconut filling.  Super cute and super tasty

Mini S'mores cupcakes

I've been wanting to make these for awhile... I made them mini because most s'mores cupcakes are fork cupcakes and I wanted these to be easy to eat with no utensils.  There's a graham cracker crust, chocolate cupcake with graham topping and a marshmallow topping toasted with a torch. Yum!

Friday, August 16, 2013

Another peek...

First time playing with hard candy. Learning all kinds of new things.

Sneak Peek

Flash of brilliance from my husband - dye the lollipop sticks!

Friday, July 26, 2013

Score!

Check out what my awesome husband found in the clearance aisle at the grocery store!

I haven't posted here in awhile. In fact, since last I did, I've had a baby, gotten a new job, baked dozens and dozens of cupcakes, cakes, and cookies, and gone through two ovens doing it. I plan on going back to weekly posts, now that my life has calmed down a little. Stay tuned!