So, I have an unnecessary confession. I have a baking addiction. This baking addiction doesn't just rear it's beautiful sugary face in the kitchen but it transpires to my daily life. You see, I have discovered 'Bakery Story' on my IPhone which is a virtual world where the virtual me owns and operates a bakery. You get to prepare different treats that take a certain amount of time, and when they are ready they get put on a display counter to feed your customers. Your aim is to keep your customers happy by making sure they have a good selection of treats to eat. I am currently on level 26, which yes is quite high (shine the badge), I'm unsure of whether I should be as proud of this as I am as I have been known to stay up, or get up early just because I know that one of my treats is going to be ready, or because my customers have nothing to eat. I try to put a postivie spin on this 'being enveloped in running a virtual bakery' by telling myself that it is teaching me time management skills, and is also making me interested in making 'for real' the treats that I am 'virtually making' in my fake bakery world. Do you follow?
One of the treats the 'virtual' Gem makes is Red Velvet Cake. It takes virtual Gem a whole day to make in virtual bakery world, so to me that means that they must be pretty darn tasty + they look superfly. All that smooth racy red cake batter that tastes like chocolate and cream cheese bright white frosting mmmmmmm, good for the eye and for the tastebuds.
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Red Velvet Cupcakes
125g Sifted cake flour (make this yourself by measuring out 1 cup of all purpose. Take out 2T of the flour and replace with 2T cornflour)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon regular or Dutch cocoa powder
60g unsalted butter, at room temp
150g white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon red food colouring
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Cream Cheese Frosting
115 grams cream cheese, room temp
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
1/3 cup whipping cream
Line 10 muffin tins with pretty, sweet cupcake liners.
Sift together the flour salt and cocoa powder in a bowl.
Beat the butter until soft (about 2 min) in an electric mixer or a hand mixer. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 3 min). Add the egg and beat until combined. Scape the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
In a bowl whisk the buttermilk with the red food colouring. With the mixer on a low speed, alternately add the flour mix and the buttermilk to the butter mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow it to fizz and then fold into the cake batter.
Divide the batter evenly among the 10 cupcake cups (just fill them around 3/4 full) and smooth the tops with the back of a spoon. Bake in a preheated 180degree C oven for approx 18-23 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove them from the pan. Let them cool completely before frosting. If you have little bubbles on top on the cupcakes then grab a serated knife and cut a straight line across them (it makes them a little easier to frost). Either spread the frosting on with a knife, or I used a 1M decorating tip in a frosting bag (frosting bags and tips are a good investment if you want that pretty doomed cupcake top)
Cream Cheese Frosting: In the bowl of your mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and icing sugar and beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment gradually add the cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to pipe. Add more icing sugar as needed to get the right consistency. You want it to be quite thick, so that it is not falling of the spoon when you are testing it.
Take them around to your real friends house (your virtual friends can't eat real cupcakes) and be happy that you have made these attractive, racy red, delicious, pretty sweet things to share with your attractive, racy red (?), delicious, pretty sweet friends. x
