you’ve asked, & i’m answering. making home-made, practically from-scratch, red velvet cupcakes is easier than you ever could have imagined. my particular recipe was found stashed away in a recipe book, scribbled on a scrap of paper… almost like the recipe had been waiting there for me to discover it. sometimes i wonder who was this brilliant, ahead-of-her-times woman? using a cake mix, instead of baking from scratch?! do you think she told her friends, or was it “her dirty little secret?” whatever the case, it is now “our dirty little secret.”
red velvet cupcakes
1 package of german chocolate cake mix
1 small package (3.4 oz) of vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1, 1-oz bottle of red food coloring
3 large eggs
1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. mix cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, oil, water, food coloring & eggs in a large mixing bowl until well mixed.
3. using a spoon, fold in the mini chocolate chips.
4. fill your cupcake pan, or cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full.
5. place pans in the oven & bake approximately 18+ minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean, or the cupcakes “springs back” when lightly pressed.
6. cool for approximately 15 minutes before frosting.
* more concerned with how red your cupcakes are, as opposed to the chocolate-ness of the cake? start with a white or yellow cake mix instead.
cream cheese frosting
1, 8-oz package cream cheese
1 stick of softened butter
1 tsp. vanilla
4+ cups of powdered sugar
1. mix cream cheese, butter & vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth & well combined.
2. slowly add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until desired taste achieved. be sure to scrape down the side of bowl with a spatula.
3. once well combined, beat for an additional minute or so, until everything is creamy & fluffy.
4. using a pastry bag or ziplock bag, smother your cupcakes in mounds of yummy & delicious frosting.
