Southerners love a good red velvet cake the way they love good, juicy gossip. That’s because there’s inherent drama in a towering white cake that, beneath swaths of innocent cream cheese frosting, possesses a shockingly crimson interior. Of course, they also love red velvet cake for its twangy buttermilk and cocoa–infused flavor and exceptionally smooth, supple crumb.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 1 1/2 dozen cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
Frosting
Preparation
Cupcakes
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line one 12-cup muffin tin and half of a second 12-cup tin with paper liners and lightly spray the tops of the tins with nonstick spray. Have all the ingredients at room temperature before you begin.
Step 2
Cream the granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes (see Know-how, page 315). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
Step 3
Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl and stir to mix. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour mixture, stopping to scrape down the bowl several times and stirring just until all is incorporated. Do not overmix. Stir in the vinegar and food coloring, if using, until thoroughly blended.
Step 4
Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins using a 1/4-cup measure or ice cream scoop to fill each cup about three-quarters full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until springy to the touch and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
Step 5
Cream the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time and cream until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix until blended.
Step 6
Using a spatula or pastry bag and tip, spread or pipe the frosting on the cupcakes and serve.
Chew on this: About Red Velvet Cake
Step 7
Although the origins of red velvet cake are up for debate, the cake has been around since long before the popularization of commercially produced food coloring, in the 1950s and 1960s. In fact, the cake’s red tint was most likely initially the result of a chemical reaction sparked by mixing acidic buttermilk and vinegar with natural cocoa powder. (The acid also had the effect of softening the cake’s crumb.) Over the years, the color was intensified with beets and, finally, the red food coloring that is most often used today.
Sara’s Swaps
Step 8
Damon Lee Fowler, my friend and expert on all things Southern, makes a brown velvet cake in which he simply omits the food coloring. Because I don’t typically keep food coloring in my pantry, I often follow his lead with this recipe, and both versions are equally tasty. But the bright color is a true crowd-pleaser, especially among kids.
Know-how: Piping Frosting on the Fly
Step 9
You don’t need a pastry bag and tip handy to pipe frosting. Just snip the bottom corner off a plastic sandwich bag and use a spatula to fill the bag with frosting. Use the bag as you would a pastry bag, pushing the frosting out through the hole in the corner to create swirls or rosettes.
