Kat Dinges
Guest Columnist
Kat Dinges is a transplant from Maryland, and currently resides in Ponte Vedra Beach. Although she creates beautiful and unusual cupcakes, Kat also experiments with everything from savory bacon scones to sweet cake creations.
For more information about the baker featured in this week’s In the Kitchen, visit www.katsbakes.com or search “Kat’s Bakes” on Facebook.
Red velvet cupcakes are one of the most popular flavors you’ll find in a bakeshop.
You can’t help but get giddy for that decadent, deep red cake and the perfect dollop of cream cheese frosting on top.
There are some people who don’t care for red velvet, and I wasn’t a fan before I made them myself. I have friends that were turned off by red velvet cupcakes and now they can’t get enough.
My red velvet cupcakes contain what I consider to be one of the most amazing ingredients that has ever existed: sour cream.
Generally you’ll find that most recipes use buttermilk, and this might be the very thing that separates an “OK” red velvet cupcake from an irresistible one.
Ingredients
(Yields 36 standard cupcakes)
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup milk
• 1 ounce red food color
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Cream cheese frosting:
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
• ½ stick butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 16 ounces confectioners sugar
Start by measuring out all of your ingredients. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your cupcake tins with your favorite cupcake liners.
Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a big mixing bowl, cream together your butter and sugar for about 5 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time making sure to fully incorporate each egg. Slowly add your food color and vanilla. Mix this together and be careful not to splatter dye all over yourself.
At this point, your batter should be very fluid. Add the milk and sour cream and mix until blended. Slowly add the flour mixture until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix.
Using a cookie/ice cream scoop, fill each liner about halfway. If you overfill your cups, they will bubble out onto your pan and your cupcake won’t have a pretty round top.
The trick to having a perfect batch is to bake one pan at a time and to watch your cupcakes carefully.
Depending on your oven, this will take between 15 and 20 minutes to bake. Check your cupcakes at the 10-minute mark. You’ll want to rotate your pan 180 degrees, even if you have a convection oven, to ensure even baking.
At the 15-minute mark, get a toothpick ready to test your cupcakes. You should take out the pans when your cupcakes have just set up. If the toothpick comes out dry or with just a few small crumbs, remove it from the oven and start your second batch. If it’s still a little wet, bake for an additional 2 minutes and then do the toothpick test again.
Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes. Carefully remove each cupcake and let them cool on the wire rack. I use a fork to help scoop underneath the cupcake.
While your cupcakes are cooling, begin making the frosting. Beat together all of the ingredients except the sugar. When that mixture is light and fluffy, gradually add the sugar, and mix until smooth. You’ll know it’s ready when the frosting doesn’t feel grainy — the best way to test it is to taste it, of course.
If you’re going to pipe the frosting on your cupcakes, refrigerate it for about 30-45 minutes to let it stiffen up.
Once your cupcakes have cooled, decorate with frosting, sprinkles, nonpareils, or even some sugar beads. Store your finished cupcakes in the refrigerator.
Valentine’s Day will be here in no time. Why not surprise your love bug by whipping up a batch?
Take about a ½ cup of your frosting and color it with some red icing gel. Use a spatula and swipe on some white frosting to create a blank canvas for your decorations. With a small piping tip, write a love message or draw some hearts with the red icing, and you’re done!
If you decide to make these, let me know how they turn out and if I’ve changed your mind about red velvet.
Do you have a special recipe, cooking trick or kitchen tip for us? “In the Kitchen” features talented bakers , chefs and caterers from the First Coast. Submit your recipe or story idea to pvrecorder@opcfla.com or
call (904)285-8831.
