{recipe} Red Velvet Cupcakes

My aunt Sherrie and I made these together. I think it’s kind of weird that red velvet everything is in vogue right now. It must be some irony-induced backlash to the organic/natural movement that makes us want to pump our bodies full of whole bottles of evil red food coloring. Or maybe it’s just because they are so pretty!

They weren’t quite as dark red as we wanted but they sure were velvety! They were kind of dense and pound cake-y. Yum! The recipe is adapted from a Paula Deen recipe- I mean, how can you NOT trust a woman who puts Velveeta in chocolate fudge?

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Makes about 16 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter at room temp
• 1/4 cup crisco
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 ounce of liquid red food coloring
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups pastry/cake flour
• pinch salt
• 1/2 cup milk

Method:

• Preheat oven to 325 and prepare cupcake pan with papers.
• Cream butter, crisco, and sugar in a mixer until fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating after each time.
• Add food coloring and vanilla and mix.
• Add half the flour and half the milk and mix well. Add the rest of the flour and milk, and the salt, and mix until blended together.
• Pour or ladle into cupcake papers. Bake about 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool before frosting.

Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 3 oz. cream cheese
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter at room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 pound powdered sugar plus a little more if needed

Method:

• Mix butter, cream cheese, and vanilla in a mixer til smooth.
• Add the sugar about a cup at a time, beating until creamy. Add more sugar if too thin or add a little bit of milk if too thick.