White Velvet is the new Red

Right so I am going to just say it… I’m bloody tired of Red velvet! I’m tired of the cake, I’m tired of red velvet brownies, I’m tired of red velvet cheese cake and I’m seriously tired of the luminous red coloured cake trying to sell its self as red velvet… it’s a lie and it’s also pretty gross. Red velvet cake is actually a chocolate cake dyed with beetroot.

This recipe I’m about to share has the same density of a red velvet cake. I quite like a heavy cake. Iv called these cupcakes white velvets… but when you make them you can call them whatever you want really… strawberry satins… or chocolate silks maybe even lemon lycras’… it’s up to you.

Ingredients:

250g butter

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp corn flour sifted

1 tsp salt

2 ½ cups cake flour

1tsp vanilla

1 cup buttermilk/ inkomazi

1tsp baking soda

1tbsp White vinegar

Icing:

1 cup butter/ 250g

400g icing sugar sifted

2tsp boiling water

Vanilla flavouring

Colouring if desired (if desired)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180”C/ 350 F

Spray one muffin tray lightly with spray and cook. I do this because it makes cleaning a hell of a lot easier. Now place paper muffin cups in each hole. You can spray these too but I don’t.

Cream butter and sugar until the mixture takes on a light fluffy appearance it should almost appear white. If you have a beater I’d suggest using it. I’v tried this with my own muscle power and it does work, but let’s just say I’m not counting the days to when I next have to do it by hand.

Slowly add your eggs. Seriously… slowly, this baking method can sometimes split and if you’re impatient like myself, it will ALWAYS split. If it does just add some of your flour that you have already measure out for the cake, alternatively try warm the bowl a little.

If you are using food colouring, mix it into the cornflour (this is called slaking) , add the salt and make a paste. Add this to the egg mixture.

Combine buttermilk, vinegar, baking soda and vanilla together.

Add  the buttermilk mixture to the egg mixture alternating with your flour. Mix until smooth. This usually takes about 5-6 minutes depending on the mixer…

Pour into the muffin tray and place in oven for about 30-40minutes. Once ready the cupcakes should spring back if poked gently.

Allow these dudes to sit for a few. Then transfer them to a fabulous cooling wrack.

  The icing:

This is really just adding all the ingredients together and beating until smooth… the butter needs to be fluffy. I suggest beating the butter until nice and soft, adding the sugar slowly until all combined then add the vanilla or whatever flavouring and beat for about 10 minutes.

For these cupcakes you can seriously vary them… they are your white velvets…

Throw in some lemon zest into the icing

Chuck choc chips into the flour while adding

Add raspberries to the buttercream. These are acidic much like strawberries and citrus, add enough to taste or else the butter will split. You could dehydrate raspberries and other berries, blitz them and add them into the buttercream .

Add melted chocolate to the buttercream, this will firm it up as well.

*In The picture I have crushed toffees