Friday, February 11, 2011

Valentine Cupcakes and Such

What do key lime pie, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and red velvet cake have in common? 


Today, all three of these things are often prepared with food coloring when traditionally they weren't. Most recipes call for an insane amount of red food coloring and some call for beets to give the cake it's distinct color. Cocoa used to be more alkaline than it is today, so the reddish hue came from the reaction of the combination of buttermilk, vinegar, and cocoa. Before my third year of college, I had never even tasted one bite of Red Velvet cake. Now, a year later, I have easily made over 300 cupcakes of this flavor, and claimed it as one of my most favorite things in the world. 


Having my own cupcake business last semester was one of the most wonderful experiences I have had at college so far. I met so many new people and had an excuse to play around with a wide array of types of cake and frosting. Although I've decided to take a break from it for a while, when one of my friends asked if he could order 3 dozen for valentine's day (and another had a pending order for red velvet) I gladly agreed. 


There are so many different varieties of Red Velvet cake. Just google it and you'll see there are so many different combinations of ingredients. Just like a vanilla cake I suppose. I've always stuck with the one from my mom (who got it from her mom) and I doubt I'll ever use a different recipe. It's tried and true and I've gotten a lot of thumbs up for them.

Psh, you thought I was going to hand out the recipe? Sorry kids, not this one.

 Also on the menu was my favorite chocolate cake  with peppermint frosting.


The whole process, and the fact that Valentine's Day is right around the corner made the Red Velvet Truffles pop into my mind. Too bad my blender broke so I can't make them :(

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