The Most Delicious Red Velvet Cupcakes

If you would to ask me what my favorite food is, it would usually be some kind of dessert. Whether it be chocolate cake, strawberry pie or a plate of chocolate chip cookies, it really doesn't matter because I love anything that belongs in the dessert category. For me, there's nothing worse than being disappointed by a lousy dessert after a spectacular meal. It's like watching a movie with a bad ending. It's hard for me to tolerate and leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Making red velvet cupcakes for the first time

Last week, I received a beautiful cake stand for my birthday. I always wanted one and I couldn't be any happier! I promised my friends that I would make them some cupcakes that would look pretty in the cake stand. So yesterday, I decided to spend my day making some red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Now I have to admit that I was a bit scared. I've made red velvet cupcakes before but I never quite got them right. My first attempt resulted in a dry cake while my second attempt was one with an extremely sweet frosting. The other challenge was that most Japanese, including my friends, find American cakes too sweet for their tastes. So some adjustments were needed.

So how did my red velvet cupcakes turn out? I am thrilled to say that they were pretty awesome. The cake turned out moist and, dare I say it, perfect! And my cream cheese frosting was just sweet enough without it being too overpowering. I liked this less-sweet version of red velvet cupcake so much, I even had one for breakfast this morning.

Additional tips:

• You can increase the confectioners's sugar to 2 cups for a sweeter frosting if you desire.
• Decorate the cupcakes with berries for a beautiful presentation.
• Overbeating the cake batter will result in a dry cake. Don't overbeat.
• Make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting.

Ingredients

• Cupcakes:
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 ounce red food coloring
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 1 8 -ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in bowl. Set aside.
3. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy.
4. Add sour cream, milk, food coloring and vanilla to the mixture. Mix.
5. Gradually add flour mixture while beating on low speed until just blended. Don't overbeat.
6. Spoon batter into cupcake holders 2/3 full.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8. Cool completely.
9. For frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla extract in large bowl until light and fluffy.
10. Gradually mix in confectioners's sugar until smooth and creamy.
11. Frost the cooled cupcakes with the frosting.
12. Decorate with berries if desired.

Are you a cupcake lover? If so, what is your favorite type of cupcake? Let me know in the comments below. Oh, before you go, don't forget to subscribe to this blog for regular updates. It's free and convenient. Thanks for reading guys and hope you're all having a great week.