We are so excited to introduce to you to Lisa Thiele of With Style & Grace! Lisa & I “met” on Twitter and her blog is so fantastic. Fabulous recipes, gorgeous inspiration and beautiful photography ….all of the key elements of a lovely blog! I asked Lisa to come up with something fabulous for our Valentine’s Day Ideas series and she happily obliged! Knowing my love for sweets, she offered up several ideas including these Red Velvet Cupcakes. Enjoy her post and look forward to seeing more from Lisa in the future on The TomKat Studio! 

From Lisa:
Mmmm… moist, fluffy, red velvet cupcakes with a dollop of cream cheese frosting, I’m in love. These mini cupcakes are perfect for any Valentines Day celebration, whether it’s for the kid’s class party, a houseful of friends (&/or kids), a romantic night at home, OR an evening with all your single friends. 
 For the longest time whenever I heard red velvet, I always thought back to the groom’s cake in Steel Magnolias. Not a great visual, I know. However, after you pop one of these delicious cake bites in your mouth, you’ll be seeing an entirely new picture. If you’ve never made red velvet, don’t be afraid, it’s chocolate flavored cake with red food coloring. For the cupcakes, I added heart shaped cookies from Whole Foods outlined a heart using frosting glitter pen from Sur la Table.  

 

And yes, I even put the cupcakes on a stick. I’m convinced everything taste better on a stick.
    
 
Red Velvet Cake: (Adapted by Cooks Illustrated)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
1 1/2 tsp baking soda  
¼ tsp salt  
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs 
3 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 oz bottle red food coloring 
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar   

Cream Cheese Frosting:  

16 Tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
16 oz cream cheese, softened and cut into 8 pieces 
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt     

DIRECTIONS    

For the Cake:   

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line your cupcake pans with liners. I made mini cupcakes – mini liners in a mini cupcake pan. In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and eggs until well combined. Set aside. In a small bowl, sift cocoa in with food coloring until it forms a paste. In a standing mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and sugar together for 2 minutes. With the mixer on, add 1/3 of flour mixture, until it’s incorporated. Then on low speed, carefully add 1/2 the buttermilk mixture until combined. Scrape down the bowl. Add 1/3 of flour mixture until incorporate. Add the rest of  buttermilk mixture beat on low until combine. Add last of flour mixture and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bowl. On medium speed, add in the cocoa paste mixture until combined. Scrape down the bowl and be sure the bottom of the batter is incorporating. Spoon the mixture into the cupcakes the individual cupcake liners (placed in the cupcake pan). Bake the cupcakes for about 20-25 minutes. Insert a toothpick – if it comes out clean, they’re ready to be taken out of the oven. Let them cool for about  5 minutes before removing to continue cooling on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. It’s important the cupcakes have completely cooled before frosting.  

For the Frosting:   

In a standing mixer, on medium speed, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the cream cheese, 1 piece at a time, and beat until well combined. Beat in the vanilla and salt. Spread the frosting or use a piping bag to frost the cupcakes. If it’s too runny, place in the fridge for a while until it hardens. 

Thank you so much, Lisa for this fabulous idea and recipe! I’m hoping to make these this weekend! 

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