This week I have been on a mission to come up with the perfect red velvet cupcake recipe. With Valentine's Day approaching I'm beginning to see more of these around and their rich red colour, velvety soft texture and creamy frosting are just too hard to resist!
There is an argument as to where red velvet cake originates from - some say its from the southern States because of the buttermilk content and others tell an anecdote of how the recipe was leaked by a patron of the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York where the cake was a specialty. It is said a lady asked for the recipe which she was given only to be billed an excessive amount for it at the end of her meal! Unimpressed, she went on to share the recipe with everybody she could!
Wherever it comes from, we'll forever be indebted to its founder! Moist, light cake, with flavour and texture somewhere between a sponge and a chocolate cake (there is normally the addition of a little bit of cocoa to the recipe) and of course the vivid red hue - almost as sinful as the cream cheese icing although many choose to opt for a regular butter icing or whipped cream. I have found I prefer a cross between butter and cream cheese! This devilish looking cake is heaven to the tastebuds!
The red hue is sometimes attained by adding beetroot to the recipe but more often nowadays people choose to add red colour. I have to admit, when I saw the amount of colour people were adding to their recipes I was a little concerned and was much more cautious when adding the colour to my own experiments. The results however were pale, murky looking cakes and I had to give in to the red! After all, it is only once in a while.. These sinful treats are for special occassions only! I shall hopefully post my recipe tomorrow - just a few more tweaks to go!
No comments:
Post a Comment