I like to bring my students baked goods as a surprise at the end of the term {that is, if they’ve been a good class — which so far, they always have been!} I had an especially wonderful creative writing class this summer so I decided to eschew the usual cookies or brownies for a special treat: homemade Red Velvet Cupcakes with this fabulous coconut cream-cheese frosting you might remember from my carrot cake recipe last month.
{Here are the finished cupcakes all ready to go to class:}
I have made Red Velvet cupcakes to great success from a boxed mix before — I like substituting applesauce for the oil to make them a little healthier while still retaining moistness. I am a big fan of the Duncan Hines Red Velvet boxed cake mix.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, like I was, here’s a recipe I was excited to find on the wonderful site Annie’s Eats to make Red Velvet cupcakes from scratch:
Ingredients:
for the cupcakes
- 2½ cups cake flour
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ cups vegetable oil {I substituted 1 cup applesauce}
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp. (1 oz.) liquid red food coloring
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. distilled white vinegar
for the frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut flavoring {optional}
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt; whisk to blend.
3. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, vegetable oil {or applesauce}, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar. Beat by hand or with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
4. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Beat until the batter is smooth.
5. Fill the cupcake tins about 3/4 of the way full.
6. Bake 15-18 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. While cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter in a mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time, alternating with heavy cream. Beat in the salt, coconut flavoring, and vanilla extract. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and spreadable. Add additional confectioners’ sugar if necessary to thicken the frosting, or more cream to thin. Stir in the coconut.
9. Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, use a knife or a spatula to spread the frosting onto the top of each.
10. {Optional} I like to refrigerate the cupcakes for twenty minutes or so to let the frosting solidify.
Happy Friday! Have a wonderful weekend!
Always,
Dallas
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Time spent: about 1 hour {including bake time}
Cost: $5-$7
