Super Moist Red Velvet Cupcakes

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."

-Theodore Seuss Geisel

- better known as Dr. Seuss, American writer and cartoonist

Happy Valentines Day! I decided to make these red velvet cupcakes for my husband and his co workers. The people he works with, love red velvet cupcakes. I make them often, mostly for other people. I've made so many different recipes of them, trying to get them moist enough (I like my cake really moist.) I also have a problem with them not having enough flavor. Of course they're not supposed to really taste like chocolate, it's supposed to be a buttermilk cake with a slight cocoa flavor. These have a wonderful flavor, perhaps with a tad more cocoa than most red velvet cakes, and they are extraordinarily moist.

Success! I say.

I topped these with some crumbs and some marshmallow fondant flowers I had made for another project.

I buy cupcake wrappers at a restaurant supply store, they come in a package of 500, but they are much, much cheaper than at the grocery store, and I don't have to remember to buy them every time I make cupcakes.

I add the red with the tip of a knife until I get it the color I want. It takes almost 1/2 a jar to get it this red.

I use Wilton's "no taste red" it's called that because some red flavors have a bitter taste. It takes quite a bit to turn the whole batch red. This is a paste color, another good brand of paste color is Americolor. Paste is more concentrated than the liquid you buy at the grocery store.

I used Penzey's high fat cocoa. This was a Christmas present from my sister. Last time we were at the Penzey's store she bought some and told me how good it was. Of course I wanted some too!

Super Moist Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

an original recipe by me Melissa, aka The Alchemist

makes about 32 cupcakes

Ingredients

3 cups (450 g.) all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup (25 g.) cocoa

2 1/2 cups (515 g.) sugar

1 cup (236 ml.) neutral oil (vegetable oil or I used extra light olive oil)

1 cup (225 g.) butter, melted

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups (354 ml.) buttermilk well shaken, (or add a tablespoon of vinegar to regular milk and let sit for a few minutes) Or use 1/2 yogurt and half soured milk. (that's what I did this time, but I've also used only soured milk)

1 Tablespoon vinegar, white or cider

2 Tablespoons vanilla extract

red paste food coloring-use enough to get it as red as you want it. I use almost a half a jar.

Or if you only have access to the liquid color in the grocery store, you will need a whole (1 oz.) bottle.

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, 160 degrees Celsius, or Gas Mark 3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa.

Beat together the sugar, melted butter and oil until smooth, about 3 minutes in an stand mixer. Or you can use a hand mixer.

Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Add the vinegar and the vanilla.

Add half the dry ingredients and mix well, then add half of the buttermilk and/or yogurt if you are using it.

Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix well, then add the rest of the buttermilk/yogurt.

Add the color. If using the paste, add quite a bit, then stir and see if it's dark enough. Add more color to get it really red if it needs it. I use almost 1/2 a jar of the Wilton paste. If you are using the liquid, add the whole (1 oz.) bottle of liquid and mix well.

Scoop the batter with an ice cream scoop into muffin cups lined with cupcake liners, **edited to add** these cupcakes can be a bit greasy on the bottom, if you don't want that, then bake them in greaseproof or foil cupcake liners.** about 3/4 of the way full. The batter is quite liquidy, so alternately you can use a measuring cup with a spout and pour the batter in the cups that way, if you prefer.

Bake the cupcakes for 25-32 minutes. They're done when they pass a toothpick test .

When cool, frost the cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting recipe below. Top with crumbs if you like. It took me 2 cupcakes of crumbs to cover 30 cupcakes. (the recipe made 32.)

Cream Cheese Frosting

2, 8 oz packages cream cheese, room temperature

2 sticks (1 cup) (225 g.) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 Tablespoons Vanilla extract

pinch of salt

5-7 cups (625 g. to 875 g.) powdered sugar

Beat the cream cheese and the butter together with a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer.

Beat it well until very creamy, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla, 5 cups (625 g.) of sugar and a pinch of salt. Beat well until very fluffy, another 3 minutes or so.

Now check the consistency of the frosting. If you are going to pipe it, you may want it a little stiffer. I used exactly 5 cups (625 g.) and I was just able to pipe it. If you like a stiffer frosting, go ahead and add more powdered sugar to get it the way you like it.