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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

One Of My Favorites


My heroine Violet Emerson is a baker so it seemed appropriate to share some cupcake recipes with you. This is one of my favorite cupcake recipes because I love Red Velvet cakes. I got this recipe from www.allrecipes.com, and they said it was one of their most popular recipes.

The photo is from www.luxuryrecipes.blogspot.com A New Dream is available at http://www.astraeapress.com/#ecwid:category=662245&mode=product&product=2676585

Ingredients
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 (1 ounce) bottle McCormick® Red Food Color
• 2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract

• Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 (16 ounce) box confectioners' sugar
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting.
4. Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese, softened, butter, sour cream and McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

3 comments:

  1. You seem to be a serious cupcake baker. Here is a recipe that I just received yesterday:

    Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Icing

    Preparation Time: 1 hour
    Level: Easy
    Cook Time: 3 hours (including cooling and chilling time) Serves: 12

    These vanilla-infused cupcakes are made with applesauce as a fat-replacer for butter that’s traditionally part of vanilla cake batter. Thickened evaporated milk works as a great base for the rich and creamy chocolate frosting. Dark chocolate lovers, be sure to use bittersweet chocolate.

    Ingredients:
    Cupcakes
    1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour, (see Note)
    1 cup cake flour
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 cup granulated sugar
    1/4 cup canola oil
    1 whole vanilla bean, split lengthwise (see Tip)
    1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
    1 large egg
    1 large egg yolk
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 12-ounce can low-fat evaporated milk, divided
    Frosting1/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
    Pinch of salt
    2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
    1 cup packed confectioners’ sugar, sifted
    2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    Sprinkles, for decoration
    Preparation:
    To prepare cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups with paper liners.
    Whisk whole-wheat flour, cake flour, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.
    Beat granulated sugar and oil in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Scrape the black paste out of the vanilla bean into the sugar mixture. Add applesauce, egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. With the mixer on low, alternately mix in the dry ingredients and 1/2 cup evaporated milk, starting and ending with dry ingredients and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until just combined. Divide the batter among the prepared cups (they will be full).
    Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
    To prepare frosting: Meanwhile, whisk 2/3 cup of the remaining evaporated milk, all-purpose flour and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan until no flour lumps remain. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it looks like a thick, stiff paste, 2 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and continue whisking for about 30 seconds to cool slightly. Whisk in chocolate until completely melted. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate the frosting until thickened and cold, about 2 hours. Spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired.
    Tip:
    Ingredient Note: Look for whole-wheat pastry flour in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets and natural-foods stores. Store in the freezer.
    Tip: If you don’t have a vanilla bean, use 1 tablespoon vanilla extract in Step 3 instead.

    Enjoy

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  2. Have I died and gone to Heaven? this recipe makes my mouth water.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm always on the lookout for recipes so thank you!!

    marypres@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete