Red Velvet Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

FIFTH red velvet cupcakes recipe I tried and the BEST one! :D

I'm so happy with this recipe. Unlike other red velvet cupcakes, I found this more chocolatey. Not just slightly chocolate.

The frosting is light but you can still taste the cream cheese. The previous red velvet cupcakes used regular cream cheese frosting (not whipped). All of them are runny and too sweet! (Back here in Indonesia, my cooking teacher told me that we can't make the regular ones because of the weather is too hot) But this one is pipe-able and really holds it's shaped. Not to mention, they taste even better!

Give it a try! 

Hershey's Red Velvet Cake

makes 12 cupcakes

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

1/2 cup buttermilk (buttermilk substitute : just under 1/2 milk + 1/2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice)

1 cup All-Purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp red food color (I used oil-based food coloring)

2 1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350F.

2) Sift together the dry ingredients (cocoa powder, flour and salt).  Set aside.

3) Beat the sugar and butter. Add in the egg and vanilla.

4) Stir together the wet ingredients (food coloring and buttermilk) in a measuring cup. Set aside.

5) Alternatively add the wet and dry ingredients into the sugar/butter/egg batter.

6) Mix in the baking soda first and then the vinegar.

7) Bake for 18-20 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick.  If crumbs are sticking to the toothpick, then they are done. They will finishing baking in the cupcake pan from the residual heat for a minute or two.  

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting 

generously frosts 12 cupcakes and then some :)

1 cup heavy whipping cream (I used Rich's non-dairy whip topping)

1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin or jelly powder

1 tbsp hot water

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar (I used powdered sugar)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp sour cream (I used yogurt instead)

Directions

1) Dissolve the gelatin in hot water and set aside.

2) Whip the heavy whipping cream in a chilled bowl with a chilled whisk. Once soft peaks are achieved, add the gelatin mixture. Continue beating until the peaks become stiff. Remove from mixing bowl and set aside.

3) With the uncleaned mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix until combined.  

4) Fold in the whipping cream until incorporated.

*burp*

 Click here for video.

Baking Class

Good morning bloggers! Last week, I joined a baking class. My mom's friend held it. I learned 3 recipes (Carrot Cake, Banana Cake-my favorite, and Apple Wholemeal Cake). Beside from baking, we had meal together. The teacher brought some cake from The Baker's (Ranch Pastry) and my classmate brought a pack of her Pempek (it's some kind of fish ball eaten with sauce - traditional food from Palembang, Indonesia).

Red Velvet, Carrot Cake, (I forgot what's the third) and Pistachio Cake

Pempek

 The teacher made the class seemed easy. In fact, the cake taste good and it's healthy :D I will share the recipe when I make it again.

Banana Cake <3

Carrot Cake baked in muffin tins

My Carrot Cupcakes! -a bit messy :p

My Teacher's

She put parchment paper to create pattern and dusted the cake with icing sugar

I think I'm joining her next baking class :D

Matcha (Green Tea) and Chocolate Swirl Cupcakes

Hey there my-blogger-reader-who-i-do-not-know! Does any of you love matcha? I sure do like love it. I've tried matcha served as latte, milk, ice cream, cookies, cake, pudding, macaron, mochi, and many more. And they always taste GREAT. Thank you matcha discoverer man/woman! 

Anyways, a couple days ago, my buddy Michael ordered some chocolate cupcakes from me. Then I asked him whether he wanted it mixed with green tea or not. And he said okay. So, I made them for him :D
RECIPE below : 

This is actually Bakerella's bundt cake recipe. But I baked them in cupcakes (one batch makes 36 cupcakes or one 12-cup bundt cake) and they still taste great :)

You will need :

Chocolate Mixture
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Matcha mixture
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-3 Tbsp matcha powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Wet ingredients
3 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 eggs, room temperature
1 3/4 cup milk, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla

Method :

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Grease and flour (or cocoa) a 10 or 12 cup Bundt pan. (If using a 10-cup pan, you can reserve any extra batter for cupcakes.)-or line cupcake pans with cupcake liners
• With a wire whisk, mix the dry ingredients for the chocolate mixture in a small bowl and set aside.
  
• In another small bowl, do the same for the matcha mixture.

• Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.
• Divide the creamed mixture evenly in two separate bowls.
• Slowly add the chocolate mixture to one half of the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.
• Then, add the matcha mixture to the other half of the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.
• Drop alternating spoonfuls of each mixture into the bundt pan until it’s about 3/4 full.
• For a marbled effect, gently run a knife through the two batters in a swirling motion. (Once or twice will do the trick.)
• Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.-for cupcakes : 20-25 minutes

Fresh from the oven!

I frosted them with whipped white chocolate green tea ganache

 Happy experimenting with matcha! :*:* Good luck in the kitchen!

RAINBOW CAKE!

I know I said "...so I'll just have to go slow and write type them one by one.." But I changed my mine. I'm too lazy to recollect my previous photos. And I think I'm just going to go trough to what-i-really-want-to-post and do it right know! 

Have you heard about rainbow cake? Of course!  

I always browse the internet to find a rainbow cake recipe, but usually, I end up with colored white cake mix cake, instead a do-it-yourself-from-scratch recipe. One day, a  friend (big thanks to her!)gave me a white cake recipe (from scratch!) that taste slightly vanilla and really white (SO! I can divide  the batter and color them rainbowly :P). It took so many egg whites though.. 

IF you're wondering "Why rainbow cake?" it's simply because of my obsession with RAINBOWS! Rainbow is just so beautiful ;;) It made me want to eat them. I've always been so curious how does a rainbow taste like? Does it taste like m&m's? Gummy bears? Fruits? I STILL don't know YET. Even though this cake only give me a vanilla taste, it satisfy me a bit. It's like eating a rainbow in a plate (I DID NOT eat directly with my face on the plate, I spooned it!). 

I made rainbow jello too, but you know, it's from a box not a do-it-yourself-from-scratch which I didn't really enjoy making. But it still taste great, once again, it's like eating a rainbow! :)

 

 I've made the rainbow cake several times. Here they are!

White from the outside but RAINBOWY inside

My very first rainbow cake. It looks horrifying..

Kit-Kat and M&M's cake, it's a chocolate cake but it's still colorful right? ;;)

Mini Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes

Finally I make another cheesecake after failing before! My previous cheesecake was too sweet, VERY sweet even for a sweet tooth (me), because I forgot the measurement of the sugar (SO,I threw a lot of sugar in the batch and crossed my fingers :p). I found out this recipe taste better but I don't like it very much. It is not sweet enough for me, so I topped them with nutella :9 . Maybe I'll add some sugar next time.

Ingredients : (makes 30)

• 42 cream filled sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped (but I used oriorio *I think it's a fake oreo brand?* because I can only found double stuffed oreos in the store)
• 2 pounds cream cheese, room temparature (I used original philadelphia cream cheese)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 cup of sour cream 
• pinch of salt

Methods :

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup. 
  

• With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat them until combined. Beat in vanilla.

• Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

• Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.  

 

This is how my cheesecakes looked like after baked :

Bottom Part

Christmas Tree and Rudolph *it's still Christmas season right?

Holly Leaves *huh?*

Pink Piggy Cupcakes (Strawberry Cupcakes)

Hi bloggers! :) How's your day? I want to share this recipe (not my own recipe, found it somewhere) - Strawberry Cupcakes! I hope you like it :D 

Ingredients : (makes 12 - 15 standard size cupcakes *my batch makes 14)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

10 drops strawberry essence *optional

1/2 cup spectrum organic shortening

1 1/2 cup cake flour 

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup thawed frozen strawberries (enough berries to yield 1 cup puree)

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp powdered milk

2 tsp vanilla extract 

4 large egg whites 

*if you like it more pinkish add some gel food coloring to avoid more liquid in batch 

Method :

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. Take thawed strawberries and drain the juice from them. Puree berries with a food processor or a stick blender.

3. Cream shortening, vanilla, sugar, and strawberry essence (if using) until light and fluffy. Add the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Sift together dry ingredients. Add alternately with strawberry puree in 3 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture mix well after each addition.

5. Fill cupcakes 2/3 full. Bake for 17-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in pan for a minute. Then place on a wire rack to cool completely. 

6. Decorate!! 

These are my cupcakes :D I top them with whipped strawberry cream and some candy for the ears. 

I was out of candies, you might notice there's one with face like this -> :3  I'm not really sure what is that..

PIGGIES aka my inspiration

Found a ROUNDED strawberry yesterday! 

The bottom part creeps me a bit

It's rounded! :D hahaha