Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

These cupcakes are wonderful! I made them for my son's birthday party. We were decorating with red and blue, so I knew red velvet cupcakes would be perfect.

The recipe makes 12 cupcakes. I needed more, so I made a double batch and it doubled really easily. The cinnamon cream cheese frosting was one of the best parts. So easy to make and super delicious! The cinnamon adds a little extra flavor and I love the fun speckles throughout it.

The batter can also be made into cake, which I plan to try someday. But cupcakes are way more fun for a kid's birthday party! And eat them with some ice cream - totally to die for!



Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
(from Joy the Baker and Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook)

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 and 1/2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. red food coloring
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Turn mixer to high and add the egg. Scrape down the bowl and beat until well incorporated.

2. In a separate bowl mix together cocoa, vanilla and red food coloring to make a thick paste. Add to the batter, mixing thoroughly until completely combined. You may need to stop the mixer to scrape the bottom of the bowl, making sure that all the batter gets color.

3. Turn mixer to low and slowly add half of the buttermilk. Add half of the flour and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and repeat the process with the remaining milk and flour. Beat on high until smooth.

4. Turn mixer to low and add salt, baking soda and white vinegar. Turn to high and beat a few more minutes.

5. Spoon batter into a paper lined cupcake baking pan and bake at 325ºF for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center cupcake comes out clean.

6. Let rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then place them on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.


Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

2 and 1/3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, cold
scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Beat the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-slow speed until it comes together and is well mixed.

2. Add the cream cheese all at once and beat on medium to medium-high until incorporated. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes, or until the frosting becomes light and fluffy. Do not over-beat as the frosting can quickly become runny.


Makes one dozen cupcakes, double recipe to make two 9-inch layer cakes. Double frosting recipe to frost a two layer 9-inch cake.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes

Clara of IHeartFood4Thought chose this week's recipe - chocolate chocolate cupcakes. Go to her blog to get the complete recipe. And if you haven't heard, this Friday is the last day the TWD group is accepting new members. So join now or you'll miss your chance!


This week we're baking chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing. They're fantastic! I had high hopes for decorating these for Halloween.... uh, it didn't happen. But, my sister had her baby over the weekend! She had a precious little boy she named Cole. 7 pounds, 11 oz., and 20 inches of pure sweetness and joy. Life sure is good! So as you can imagine, I was a tad bit preoccupied and short on time. So in an effort to just get these made, my creativity took a backseat and I stuck with the recipe. I usually like to fiddle around a bit, but I'm rather glad I didn't. They're perfect just the way Dorie created them. The woman knows how to make a cupcake.

Some people complained of having dry cupcakes or ended up filling their muffin tins with too much batter. I didn't have those problems. Mine came out just perfect. Boringly perfect! But I think that's a good thing.


The batter was so amazing. I'm not usually a big batter eater, but I took a taste and then couldn't stop. And then once the cupcakes were done, I devoured one as soon as I iced it. My willpower is usually better than that, but I just couldn't help myself. Oh my, these are yummy!

Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes with Ganache Frosting

Denny has been out of town this week, so I haven't had anyone to cook for. Luckily we have a trip to Columbia planned for this weekend, so I had the opportunity to whip up something to bring along. I found this cupcake recipe on the Food Network's website and it sounded so irresistible. Cupcakes are all the rage for birthday parties, kid's events, parties, etc. They're so cute and you can do different color wrappers and icings and be really creative.

This recipe was moderately difficult to make. It took about 35 minutes prep time (not including the icing and cook time). The hardest part was putting the cheesecake filling in the cups and covering it perfectly with the batter. It was more time consuming than hard, really. It took some patience, but the end result was so worth it. The cheesecake center is really neat and a nice little surprise! Since today is my birthday, I allowed myself to sample one before anyone else. Delish, I will make this again for sure!



Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes with Ganache Frosting
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
1 egg, at room temperature
2/3 cup milk, at room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons mini semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Ganache frosting, recipe follows

1. Place rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake papers.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, and set aside. Using a mixer, cream the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until pale yellow, about 1 minute. Add the egg and stir until just combined. Gently add half of the flour mixture and stir until just incorporated. Mix in the milk. Add the remaining flour mixture and stir until combined. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

4. Fill prepared cupcake liners with enough chocolate batter to just cover the bottom. Add a dollop of the cream cheese filling to each, then top with remaining batter (cream cheese filling should not be visible).

5. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cupcakes stand in the pan for 3 minutes and then remove and allow to cool completely on a rack.

6. Dip each cupcake into the ganache, forming an even layer of frosting. Place in the refrigerator to set, about 15 minutes.

Ganache Frosting:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional

1. Place a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water, and whisk together the chocolate, cream, and espresso powder (if using). Continue whisking until chocolate is melted and the mixture is thick, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.