Happy Valentines Day! - Lady in Red Velvet Cupcakes

I think the best part of any holiday is the cooking. Yes, surprise, surprise, for me, the holidays are all about the food. So, when February rolled around, I immediately starting thinking about Valentine’s Day and all the delish desserts I would begin craving. While for most, the highlight of Valentine’s Day is the big box of chocolates you try to avoid but ultimately work your way through, I try to figure out which dessert will be the finale of my Valentine’s dinner.

Last year, I made chocolate cake. It was the real deal. Three layers, mounds of chocolate frosting and really moist chocolate cake. The recipe can be found on the back of Hershey’s cocoa powder. It’s HANDS DOWN the best chocolate cake you will ever eat; so I say, why mess with perfection. The recipe is also very simple, so I highly recommend it when you have a major chocolate craving, birthday or, you know, Wednesday.

This year, though, without explanation, as Valentine’s Day approached, I got the strongest craving for Red Velvet cupcakes. I love cupcakes because they are portable cake, so, what’s not to love? What I wanted to do, though, was freshen up the recipe because, while I love the moistness of red velvet cake, the frosting recipe in most cookbooks leaves much to be desired.
I’ll begin by saying I’m not a frosting fanatic. I hate the fake stuff in the can because it tastes just that, fake. So, most of the time, I make my own but still end up scraping it most of it off. Therefore, I was on a quest to rid my little cakes of the usual butter/cream cheese concoction that just leaves me feeling like why the heck didn’t I just take a stick of butter out of the fridge (à la Homer Simpson) and eat it whole. It’s kind of what you’re doing anyway. I still wanted the traditional cheese flavor but not all that butter. The butter is an integral part of the recipe as it smooths out the cream cheese so that the frosting will have a thin, spreadable consistency but I just thought there had to be a better, not butter, way.

I think my favorite spreadable cheese is MASCARPONE. It’s Italian (of course) It comes in a little plastic tub and you can find it the specialty cheese section of most grocery stores. It’s just like American cream cheese, but better. If you have ever had Tiramisù, you’ve eaten it. It’s really smooth and not as tart as cream cheese. It’s very mellow which allows for other ingredients to be added to it, and really shine. In addition, it feels like butter so I thought maybe this could provide me with an elegant substitution. Combining the Italian and the American really worked (just like me, HA!). I sweetened the two cheeses with some confectioners’ sugar. Not the FOUR AND A HALF cups that other recipes suggested (yuck!). Instead I used 1 cup and found it to be just enough (for me). You can add more if you wish. A splash of vanilla added the second layer of flavor and finally, what I think really “made it” was the lemon juice and zest I added: they took it from good to great.

I am really happy with the final product here because I took a classic, Southern favorite and made a better tasting version that my Valentines will know came straight from my heart.

Cupcakes:

Makes 12 or 6 Bakery Size (my preference, Just buy JUMBO muffin liners and add 5 min to cooking time)

1 1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon(s) unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1/2 cup(s) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup(s) sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of ½ lemon
1/2 cup(s) buttermilk
1 tablespoon(s) liquid red food coloring
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1 /2 teaspoon lemon juice
Frosting
8 ounce(s) mascarpone cheese
8 ounces cream cheese
Juice of ½ lemon
Zest of ½ lemon
1 cup(s) confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

Directions
Cupcakes: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the muffin tins and spray with PAM. I do this because I hate when ½ your cupcake ends up on the paper and let’s face it, licking the paper liner is just not attractive. In a small bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Then add buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and lemon juice. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture in thirds, alternating with buttermilk mixture, until blended. Beat 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until batter is smooth. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a pick inserted into cupcakes comes out clean. Let cool in pan 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.
Frosting: In a food processor, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and zest and beat until smooth and fluffy.

Frost cupcakes and try not to eat them all before your Valentine comes home. If you do, hide the evidence!