Red Velvet

Whilst i'd prefer to create my own recipes all the time and be a baking 'master' (or something like that?!), I like many other people find myself following recipes 99.9% of the time. For christmas I was given, amongst other things, a baking magazine which contained a recipe for a red velvet cake. The cupcake version of this cake has been almost impossible to avoid recently, its popularity owed in no small part to the Hummingbird Bakery, but I had never tried one before. Therefore I got on the internet and found myself a red velvet cupcake recipe, initially intending to have these for my birthday cake(s); the recipe in question was in fact the Hummingbird Bakery's own. 

In my opinion the cakes were okay but not exceptional. I made a cream cheese frosting as the recipe says whilst usually I have buttercream, which was quite nice for a change. However in my opinion the sponge was a bit dense and almost soggy; maybe this was something to do with my baking, but the Hummingbird's sponge recipe is way different to my own. Having said that I did take some of these round to my friend's house and her family loved them, so I guess it's just personal choice! The red colour is very attractive, but be warned that it takes a lot of food colouring; I used about 1/3 of a bottle before it ran out, and that wasn't even as much as the recipe calls for!

The Hummingbird Bakery's Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe

Makes: 12
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes

You will need

60g unsalted butter at room temperature
150g caster sugar
1 egg
20g cocoa powder
40ml red food colouring
½ tsp vanilla extract
120ml buttermilk
150g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1½ tsp white vinegar
1 x 12-hole cupcake tray, lined with paper cases

For the frosting:
300g icing sugar, sifted
50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g cream cheese, cold

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3.

2. Put the butter and the sugar in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy and well mixed. Turn the mixer up to high speed, slowly add the egg and beat until everything is well incorporated.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, red food colouring and vanilla extract to make a very thick, dark paste. Add to the butter mixture and mix thoroughly until evenly combined and coloured (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Turn the mixer down to slow speed and slowly pour in half the buttermilk.

4. Beat until well mixed, then add half the flour and beat until everything is well incorporated. Repeat this process until all the buttermilk and flour have been added. Scrape down the side of the bowl again. Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until you have a smooth, even mixture. Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Beat until well mixed, then turn up the speed again and beat for a couple more minutes.

5. Meanwhile, make the frosting by beating the icing sugar the remaining 20g of the unsalted butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat it until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least five minutes. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny.

6. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the cream cheese frosting on top.

Tips: To make a red velvet cake instead, double the quantities below, divide between three 20-cm cake tins and bake for 25 minutes at the same oven temperature.