Red Velvet Cupcakes

Today Manly is playing Warriors in the NRL grand final - and what better way to prepare than make themed cupcakes! Red velvet cupcakes are perfect because the inside of the cake is also maroon coloured (if you squint really hard). So Nathan and I spent the morning making these awesome cupcakes - based on a Donna Hay recipe. Here is what I did:

Ingredients cupcakes ~
  • 125g butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup caster sugar
  • 3/4 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cup plain flour, sifted
  • 1 tsp baking powder, sifted
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1/2 cup low/no fat milk
  • red food colouring

To Bake ~
  • Preheat oven to 160 degrees
  • Put butter, vanilla and sugar in a mixmaster and beat on high for 10-12mins or until light and creamy (walk away, make a coffee, relax)
  • Add the eggs gradually whilst the mixer is still running. 
  • Add the flour, baking powder, cocoa and milk. Beat well. Now add the colouring, if you are using liquid food colouring add a couple of drops and combine. Then add more if it is not strong enough. If you are using paste colouring get a tiny blob on a tooth pick and then add it to the mix. Combine and then add more if the colour isn't strong enough.
  • Put into patty pans and bake for 20mins or until a skewer comes out clean. 

Ingredients Icing ~
  • 250g cream cheese, softened
  • 50g butter, softened
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 1/2 cup icing sugar, icing
  • colouring of choice

To Make ~
  • Beat the cream cheese, vanilla and butter in a mixmaster for about 6mins or until pale and creamy.
  • Add the icing sugar and beat for another 6mins
  • Then separate out into bowls - one for each icing colour. Add the colour gradually so it is easy to control the outcome.
  • Ice the cakes when completely cooled and serve.

Notes ~
  1. Always sift the icing sugar even if the recipe doesn't say to - the icing is so much smoother when you sift the icing sugar
  2. Use silicon patty pans for the cupcakes - it saves on paper and you can turn the cupcakes out to ice them. It is a lot easier to ice cupcakes when they are not in patty pans
  3. If you want to make the maroon colour I did use 4 parts red colouring to 1 part part blue and 1 part black.



Our artistic presentation - writing in sprinkles is insanely hard and time consuming!

Nathan's beautiful Manly Warringah cupcake

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