Red Velvet Cupcakes

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 170 C.
2. Put the butter and the sugar in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy and well mixed. Turn the mixer up to high speed, slowly add the egg and beat until everything is well incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, red food colouring and vanilla extract to make a thick, dark paste. Add to the butter mixture and mix thoroughly until evenly combined and coloured.
4. Turn the mixer down to slow speed and slowly pour in half the buttermilk. Beat until well mixed, then add half the flour, and beat until everything is well incorporated. Repeat this process until all the buttermilk and flour have been added. Turn the mixer to a high speed until you have a smooth, even mixture.
5. Turn the mixer down to a low speed and add the salt, bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Beat until well mixed, then turn up the speed again and beat for a couple more minutes.
6. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning them out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
7. When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the cream cheese frosting on top.

Below is a picture of me at every step in the recipe.

Below is the review for the Red Velvet Cupcakes. I asked an impartial person to give me their opinions on certain aspects and an overall rating at the end.

Red Velvet Cupcake
Aesthetics:
The contrast of the cream coloured frosting and the vibrant red of the cake itself is quite mesmerising. I have never seen any red velvet creations before so obviously I am stunned by the effect created by just using some food colouring. The red sprinkles on top obviously ass nothing to the taste but they are a great indicator as to what you are going to see when you remove the paper casing. Despite the good looks there are no smells coming from the cake, which may indicate a lack of flavour.

Taste:
The cake itself seems tasteless at first bite. However the frosting is very nice, quite sugary, but with the plain cake it goes very well. There is not much I can say about the flavour, it seems as though all these cakes are about is the look rather than the actual taste. However despite the lack of flavour the sponge is very moist and has the making of a really nice taste.

Additional Comments:
Obviously they do succeed in the department of looks, and I guess that’s what they are designed specifically for. The best looking so far, but probably the most bland.

Rating:
4/10

Below is a picture of the final cakes.