You can never go wrong with a gift basket filled with dazzling red velvet cupcakes, topped with cream cheese frosting and dressed up with fresh raspberries. Impress your friends and family with your baking and pastry artistic skills with this homemade forever - welcome - pastry treat, right off your kitchen baking oven. The cupcakes' recipe is surprisingly easy, affordable, and calls for:
Ingredients:
Cupcake Batter:
- 2 1/2 Cups of cake flour.
- 1 Cup of plain yogurt.
- 1 1/2 Cups of granulated sugar.
- 6 tbsp of softened unsalted butter (1/3 Cup at room temperature).
- 2 Large eggs.
- 3 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder.
- 1 tsp of baking soda.
- 1 tsp of baking powder.
- 1/2 tsp of salt.
- 1 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract.
- 1 1/2 tsp of white vinegar.
- 2 tbsp of liquid red food coloring (1 oz.)
Cupcake Frosting:
- 5 tbsp of softened unsalted butter.
- 1 package of cream cheese (7oz. at room temperature)
- 3 1/2 Cups of confectioners sugar.
- 4 tsp of plain yogurt.
- 1 1/4 tsp of pure vanilla extract.
Garnish:
- Fresh raspberries or red candy sprinkles.
Directions:
- Heat oven to 350 F. Place paper baking cups in a regular cupcakes pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk 2 1/2 cups of cake flour, 3 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of baking powder, 1 tsp of baking soda until well combined.
- In another medium bowl, combine 1 cup of plain yogurt and 1 1/2 tsp of white vinegar and stir until well combined.
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine 6 tbsp of softened unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cup of sugar, and beat well at a medium speed for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time, and beat in thoroughly after each addition. Add 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, 2 tbsp of liquid red food coloring, and beat in till well blended.
- Alternately add flour mixture with yogurt mixture to butter mixture. Make sure to start and end with flour mixture. Beat in well at low speed after each addition till well incorporated.
- Fill cupcakes pan you have prepared earlier with cake batter using ice cream spoon. Make sure you leave room for the cupcake to expand.
- Bake for 20 minutes or till tooth pick tester comes out clean right from the center of cupcakes.
- Let cupcakes cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Once cooled, remove from pan and let cool completely prior frosting.
- Meanwhile, prepare cream cheese frosting by beating 5 tbsp of unsalted butter, 7oz of cream cheese and 4 tsp of plain yogurt at a medium speed until light and smooth. (use paddle attachment of an eclectic mixer).
- Add in 1 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract. Gradually add 3 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar to the cream cheese mixture and beat in at high speed till well incorporated and smooth.
- Frost cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, using pastry bag. As for over the top look, you can either make use of our suggestions mentioned above, or unleash your inner-creativity in pastry arts, and garnish according to your taste and preference.
