Piping Virgin

Well, first of all, for those who may have wondered: I am still alive. While I did indeed do a great deal of baking and cooking over winter break, I have seriously slacked on this whole blogging thing. So without further ado, here is my first post of 2009.

I hate admitting it, but I made these for valentines day. I have never really been a fan of valentines day, but it's a great excuse to make red velvet cupcakes, which happen to be Kyle's favorite. I love making these, the color is just way too exciting...I love red! When preparing to ice these little red drops of heaven, I remembered that I got a piping bag and a set of tips for my birthday that were eagerly awaiting icing. So, for the first time ever, I tried my hand at piping...and I must say, they don't look too bad. There's still definitely some room for practice though. I just love the way cupcakes look with piped icing, they're so cute!

Red Velvet Cupcakes 

adapted from Paula Dean

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

2 tablespoons red food coloring

2 eggs

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine wet ingredients and mix well. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Fill cupcake pan 3/4 full and bake for 20-22 minutes.

Cream Cheese Icing

courtesy of Paula Dean

16 oz. cream cheese

2 sticks butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar, plus more to reached desired consistency

Mix all ingredients together and ice cooled cupcakes.

I love this recipe because it is just so quick and easy to make. It's just about as easy as using make mix from the box. For this occasion, I halved the recipe and still came up with 10 cupcakes, so be aware that this recipe makes a good deal of batter. Enjoy!!