This Will Get Messy: Experiments Between Lessons: Experiment #4: Red Velvet Cupcakes

My husband, Chris, and I decided to host another birthday party...this time for my father-in-law. I thought Holden (my 2 year old) and his cousins, Owen and Carter, might enjoy cupcakes in place of a birthday cake but mostly it gave me an excuse to experiment with something I hadn't tried in a long, long time. Plus, I have never, ever tried red velvet! I found this recipe on Joy the Baker's blog which I am certain is a great recipe when followed properly. However, I decided to try my own thing with the recipe which is probably the reason the cupcakes turned out a wee bit (okay, a lot) dry. They LOOKED amazing and I am glad I tried them. Next time I will follow Joy's recipe more closely. I should have known that I am not an experienced enough baker to play around with someone else's recipe but I am learning as much from my mistakes as I am from my successes.

Here is the recipe:

8 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp

1 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temp

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups cake flour

2 tbsp cocoa powder *

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

scant 2 tbsp red food colouring

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the kosher salt after sifting and set aside. Measure out the buttermilk and food colouring. Add the die to the buttermilk for easier incorporation later.

Cream the butter and the sugar using an electric mixer, until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, letting the eggs beat for 1 minute in between additions. Scrape down the bowl in between additions.

Add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients. Start by adding one third of the flour mixture. Mix just to incorporate. Add half of the buttermilk. Add another one third of the flour mixture. Mix to incorporate. Add the last half of buttermilk, followed by the last third of flour.

Spoon into paper lined cupcake pans. Check the cupcakes after 12 minutes. Makes 12 cupcakes.

* Okay, this is where I think I went wrong. I wanted my cupcakes to be extra chocolaty so I added 1/4 of a cup of cocoa powder. Since I did this I probably should have added a little more buttermilk because they were kind of dry. I'm not certain that this was the problem but I'm guessing it had something to do with the dryness.

I used Joy's Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (Minus the Cinnamon)

2 and 1/3 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp butter, room temp

4 ounces cream cheese, room temp

(I had to add about a tbsp of milk and decided a splash of vanilla extract would make this frosting extra yummy!)

Beat the powdered sugar and butter on medium-slow speed until it comes together. (This is when I added the milk, since it wasn't coming together for me.)

Add the cream cheese all at once and beat on medium to medium-high until incorporated.

Beat on medium-high for 5 minutes, or until the frosting becomes light and fluffy.

Do not over-beat as the frosting can quickly become runny.

Now that is some RED batter!