Red Velvet Cupcakes

I baked these toothsome cupcakes just before Ramadhan came. Just to indulge my colleagues with some sugary dessert. =)

I already had a go-to red velvet cake recipe. This recipe was stumbled upon and I got attracted to it because the recipe uses oil instead of butter. And the amount of cocoa powder used was a lot compared to my go-to recipe. I actually prefer a recipe that doesn't use butter, mainly because I don't like to measure the butter and wait for it to softened. Yea, I'm lazy (and cool) like that.

This recipe produced more chocolat-y red velvet taste. And it's very moist, which I loveeeeee! And the cream cheese doesn't use a lot of icing sugar so it's not sickeningly sweet but just nice. You still have the tangy taste of the cream cheese and the sugary sweet of icing sugar. In one word, PERFECT.

I forgot to take pictures of the babies. This is the only one that I have.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Adapted from My Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cake flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tspn salt
• 2/3 cup sunflower oil
• 3/4 granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tspn vanilla extract
• 2 tbspn red food colouring
• 1/2 cup buttermilk - I used combination of vinegar and fresh milk. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
• 1/2 tspn baking soda
• 3/4 tspn vinegar

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C. Line the muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Sift together cake flour, cocoa powder and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat oil with sugar until well combined. Add the egg and mix until well blended.
4. With your mixer on lowest speed, add vanilla and red food colouring.
5. Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk in 2 batches, starting and ending with flour. (Flour, milk, flour, milk, flour)
6. In a small bowl, add baking soda to the vinegar and mix. Add into the batter immediately with the mixer running. Beat for 10 seconds.
7. Divide batter into the muffin tin (approx. 3 tablespoons each well), filling about 2/3 full.
8. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 5 tbspn unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups icing sugar
• 2 tspn vanilla extract

Method:

1. In a mixer bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter until well combined.
2. With the mixer turn on low, slowly add the icing sugar gradually and mix until smooth.
3. Add the vanilla and mix until smooth and fully incorporated.

Chocolate Orange and Chocolate Chip Cupcake with Orange Buttercream Frosting

I've been meaning to find a good cupcake recipe for me to practice my frosting skill. And I wanna find a go-to chocolate orange cupcake recipe. This recipe is actually for chocolate cupcake but I altered it and add orange zest and orange juice.

Don't you just love the combination ? I do, a lot and a lot and a lot ! But in this recipe the orange flavour is very subtle in the cake. That's why I accompany the cake with an orange buttercream frosting. The result ? YUMMY times 10 millions ! 

Next time I'm doing this I'm gonna use 2 oranges to get the full flavour of orange.

Chocolate Orange and Chocolate Chip Cupcake

Adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

Ingredients :

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup hot brewed coffee ( I used 2x1/4 cup )
• 1 1/3 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 3/4 tspn baking soda
• 1/4 tspn salt
• 8 tbspn ( 113 gram ) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2-3 tbspn orange juice
• 1 tspn orange zest
• 1 tspn vanilla
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Methods :

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C. Line muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Place cocoa powder in small bowl. Whisk in hot coffee until smooth and let cool until mixture is lukewarm, about 5 minutes.
3. In separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt with a fork.
4. In medium bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. After second egg, scrape down the sides and bottom and beat again. Beat in vanilla and coffee mixture. 
5. Beat in orange zest and orange juice.
6. Stir in flour mixture. Try to mix as little as possible because if you do the cupcakes will turn out tougher as usual. Stir in chocolate chips.
7. Divide batter evenly by using 2 tablespoons, filling each cup about 3 quarters full. Bake for 20 minutes.
8. Transfer muffin tin on wire rack and cool for 20 minutes. Cool completely out of the muffin tin.

Orange Buttercream Frosting

Adapted from Bake Space

Ingredients :

• 137 gram unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 3 tbspn orange juice
• 1 tspn orange zest

Method :

1. Beat butter and orange zest together until creamy.
2. Gradually add icing sugar, beating until well blended.
3. Stir in 2 tablespoon orange juice, adding additional orange juice if necessary, to reach desired consistency.