Red Velvet Cupcakes

I'm not usually a cupcake person. I like the chewy comfort of a cookie; the delicious, satisfying, toothy wonderfulness. I find that cupcakes are more often than not simply used as a vehicle for some kind of horrific sugar laden topping. Some people eat cupcakes JUST for the frosting. I am not one of these people. However, I am trying to break out of my own mold a little and try something a bit different. As a result I made these red velvet cupcakes. The recipe is out of The Hummingbird Bakery book that I received for Christmas last year. Sadly, I don't often have cream cheese in my house though and decided instead to top these babies with a meringue frosting found elsewhere in the book. The frosting was alright as far as frostings go, but just to crank it up a notch I decided to utilize my creme brulee torch making the top into a veritable toasted marshmallow. I think I would still prefer the more classic cream cheese frosting in the future, but these were okay after all.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Merinque Frosting

Cake

• 4 tbsp room temp butter
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp cocoa
• 2 tbsp red food coloring
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 1 c. + 2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Beat butter and sugar with paddle attachment of mixer until light and fluffy.
3. Turn mixer up to high, add egg, and beat until incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, mix cocoa, vanilla, and red food coloring to form a dark paste. Add to butter mixture and combine thoroughly until everything is an even color.
5. Turn mixer to low and add buttermilk and flour and beat until well incorporated. Turn mixer to high and beat until smooth.
6. Turn mixer back to low speed and add salt, baking soda, and vinegar, beating for a couple more minutes.
7. Fill cupcake cups 2/3 full with mixture and bake 20-25 minutes or until cake bounces back when touched. Cool slightly in pan before cooling completely on rack.

Frosting

• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Recipe

1. Put egg whites, sugar, and 2 tbsp of water into a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.
2. Beat with a handheld mixer until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and beat in vanilla.

Frost cupcakes only after completely cool.