What is red velvet and how is it different?<\/strong>
As a Texan, I always feel the need to educate a bit on what red velvet cake is and what it is not. Red velvet cake is a buttermilk-based vanilla cake with a small amount of cocoa powder added. If a red velvet recipe does not have buttermilk in it, please, run in the other direction.
I also want to say that red velvet is not<\/em> a plain white cake with food coloring added. Are we clear on that? I don’t know why that bothers me so much, but it does! I don’t want you to miss the true red velvet flavor and magic that is tangy buttermilk meets soft, tender cake with a slight touch of cocoa.
Red velvet cake recipes use an unusual chemical reaction to make the cake rise: vinegar and baking soda! As it turns out, the acidity in the vinegar allows the red food coloring to become even more vibrant while baking. The acidity of the cocoa powder comes into the reaction, too, and produces a soft and tender cake that has the texture of velvet!<\/p> <\/div>
Can you double this recipe for red velvet cupcakes?<\/strong>
For those of you that ask, YES, you may double and triple this recipe, but only under one condition: you must share.
If you double this recipe, bake it in a 6″ round cake pan for a single layer red velvet cake cake. I learned this from my mom, who upon me posting this red velvet cupcake recipe, immediately doubled it to bake in a 6″ cake pan.<\/strong><\/a> If you’re doing this, I would also double the cupcake frosting recipe, and you will have enough for a single-layer cake.<\/p> <\/div>
Why are my red velvet cupcakes dry?<\/strong>
If cupcakes are dry when you serve them, they might be over-baked. Remove your cupcakes from the oven when a toothpick inserted comes out with only moist crumbs of cake on it (no wet batter). Also, be sure to not let your cupcakes cool in the pan, because it will continue the cooking process.<\/p> <\/div>
What can I put in the middle of a red velvet cupcake?<\/strong>
If you want to get fancy, before frosting the cupcakes, insert the piping bag with a metal tip into the top of the cupcake and squeeze a little bit of the cream cheese frosting into the center of the cupcake. It’s important to use a metal tip for this so that it pierces the cupcake without destroying its texture. Then, clean the tip off and frosting the cupcakes as usual.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\n
Other Red Velvet Recipes:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Speaking of cake, I have a double layer red velvet cake recipe<\/strong><\/span><\/a> for two on this site for Valentine’s Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, if you double this recipe and bake it in a single 6″ cake pan, you will have enough red velvet cake to make my red velvet cake truffles<\/strong><\/span><\/a>! I make those several times a year–for Valentine’s Day, with green food coloring for St Patricks’ Day, and at Christmas!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you’re needing other red velvet recipes to use up the bottle, try my red velvet sugar cookies<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think I’ve properly inundated you with red velvet recipes, so I’ll leave you the recipe below. If you bake these red velvet cupcakes, let me know in the comments below.<\/p>\n\n\n