Week 1: Mauve Velvet Cupcakes

Several months back, my husband (Chuck) found an amazing cake & cupcake bakery that is less than 5 minutes from our house: Le Sucre Cakes & Cupcakes. How he managed to discover it before me is a total mystery. Nevertheless, I quickly became addicted to their cupcakes. After weeks & weeks of shelling out $2.50 per cupcake, I decided it was time to start baking my own. I was a little trepidatious, as I'd never had much success baking cupcakes in the past (they always stuck to the wrappers and were never as moist or flavorful as I'd like). But I bought a couple cookbooks & took the plunge.

One of my faves at Le Sucre is the red velvet cupcake - a deliciously moist cupcake and a rich cream cheese frosting. So naturally, it was my first victim. Chuck was heading out & about to purchase groceries, and I sent a long cupcake ingredient list with him. I was determined to make Martha Stewart's recipe from her fabulous new cookbook - Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. A couple hours later, Chuck called in dismay - one of the key ingredients (Dutch-processed cocoa) is apparently not sold. Anywhere. Though disappointed, I told Chuck not to worry. I decided to switch over and make the Cake Mix doctor's version from her cookbook - Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor.

Here's my final result: Mauve Velvet cupcakes (sigh)

I decided to Martha Stewart-up my cupcakes by using Martha's cream cheese frosting recipe, and made them extra appealing by topping with mini chocolate chips (who doesn't love a little extra chocolate?):

Final result: yum

Lessons learned & recipe thoughts:

1. Add more red food coloring than you think is edible.

2. Not a fan of the mini chocolate chips in the cupcake batter - some drifted to bottom of cupcakes and added a slightly burnt chocolate flavor to the cupcake.

3. Super simple recipe.

Here's the recipe from the Cake Mix Doctor:

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Cupcakes
24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2 -inch size)
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain German chocolate cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream (see "the Cupcake Doctor says")
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring
3 large eggs
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, food coloring, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon or scoop N cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.

3. Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting.

5. Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. Place these cupcakes, uncovered or in a cake server, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. The cupcakes are ready to serve.

Store the cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze them, wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

The Cupcake Doctor Says
Use reduced-fat sour cream, and you'll sacrifice only fat and calories, not flavor. If you can't find plain German chocolate cake mix, buy the pudding in the mix version and forgo the added pudding. For more chocolate flavor, use chocolate pudding mix instead of vanilla, but the cake won't be as red in color.

White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 3 cups, enough to frost 24 cupcakes (2 1/2 inch size) generously
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces (half an 8-ounce package) reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 to 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1. Place the white chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave oven on high power for 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the oven and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until it is smooth. Set the chocolate aside to cool.

2. Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the melted white chocolate and blend on low speed until just combined, 30 seconds. Add the peppermint extract and 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar and blend on low until the sugar is incorporated, 30 seconds more. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 1 minute more, adding up to 1/2 cup more sugar if needed to make a spreadable consistency.

Feel free to fold in up to 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy for a crunchy and creamy frosting!