Friday, August 1, 2014

Red velvet cupcake

A yummilicious pretty cake!


Previously I had reservations on baking red velvet cake as I thought alot of colouring went in there. However that changed after I had a very good RVC and when I saw The Sunday Times' Life Style section featuring a red velvet chiffon cake recipe just last week, I was very tempted to try it. Too much colouring once in a while should be ok, isn't it? I also used the cream cheese recipe from Jane and it's finger-licking good ;) All my guinea pigs gave 2-thumbs up for this cake and the cream, I guess it's a keeper!



Red velvet cake
(yields about 21 cupcakes)

Ingredients/ Method: 

2 tbsp cocoa powder
70g hot water
40g milk
50g unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 tsp red colouring powder (or 1 1/2 tsp red colouring paste)
90g cake flour
5 egg yolks

5 egg whites
100g caster sugar (reduced from 110g)

  1. Dissolve the cocoa powder in hot water. 
  2. In a small pot over low heat, warm the milk, butter, salt and cocoa mixture to about 60 deg or until the butter melts completely. 
  3. Add the vanilla extract and red colouring powder. Stir and mix well. Remove from heat. 
  4. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and cocoa mixture and whisk thoroughly. 
  5. Add egg yolks one at a time whilst whisking the mixture. Set aside. 
  6. Whisk egg whites in a mixing bowl. When they turn foamy, add sugar teaspoon by teaspoon. Whisk till stiff peak.
  7. Fold in 1/3 egg white to the red velvet batter using a spatula. When the mixture is just combined, add another 1/3 egg whites and repeat until all egg whites are incorporated. 
  8. Using ice-cream scoop, fill up cupcake liners upto 3/4 full.
  9. Bake at pre-heated oven at 170 deg C for 20-25 mins. 
P.s. Original recipe is for 20 cm chiffon cake. Bake at 170 deg C for 10 mins before reducing temperature to 150 deg C for another 35 mins.

Cream cheese frosting
(recipe reference from Jane, and adapted from Martha Stewart) 

125g cream cheese
85g unsalted butter, softened
35g icing sugar, sieved
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  1. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. 
  2. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar in three batches, then add vanilla and mix till smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. (If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 3 days in airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat on low speed until smooth again.)
The cake is good served chilled. 





This post is linked to the event Little Thumbs Up (August 2014 Event: Flour) - organised by Bake for Happy Kids and My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Diana from the Domestic Goddess Wannabe.



8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Jane

My neighbour likes my pandan chiffon cake. However, he gave me the clipping of the last week Sunday Times on Red Velvet Chiffon and told me that he believes chiffon baked using butter will taste better.

I am doubtful using butter in chiffon as most chiffon used oil. Butter will taste dense.

Now that I see your cupcakes baked with using the recipe of the Sunday Times I might give the recipe a try since you too gave the thumbs-up.

Are you able to kindly advise me:

1. Did your chiffon cupcakes taste dense using butter?
2. Do you need to invert the cupcakes to cool like the chiffon?

Blessings
Priscilla Poh

quizzine said...

Hi Pris,
I'm quizzine, but I've made ref to Jane's cream cheese recipe ;p
The chiffon cupcake is soft and not dense. I also did not invert the cupcake to cool. Do let me know how's yours turn out :) Happy baking!

DomesticGoddessWannabe said...

Hi your cuppies look really good. I love the idea of a lighter cake! I am a RVC convert, although I still don't like the American cream cheese frosting because of the sweetness.

Zoe said...

Like you, I hesitated at first before baking my first red velvet cake. Now, there is no turning back... I can go easy with the colouring but didn't like the fact that my red velvet cake is not red... LOL!

Yours looks really good in its soft and fluffy texture :D

Zoe

quizzine said...

Hi Diana,
Usually I don't like overly sweet frosting, but this cream cheese frosting really goes well with the RVC and they are not that sweet ;)

quizzine said...

Hi Zoe,
Haha...I think I'll be like you, no turning back on RVC! It won't be RVC anymore if it is not red....lol

mui mui said...

Awww..Quizzine,
I love RVC but have not try it because of the deep red colour. After reading your post maybe I should give it a go. What is a RVC with the deep red color..LOL

mui

quizzine said...

Hi mui mui,

Give RVC a try and you will not regret it! Hehe...