Red “as soft as Velvet and as smooth as Cream Cheese” Cupcakes

After the recent failures, I wanted to redeem myself. Of course, I am not the one to just throw together any old thing. So, I decided to take on the red velvet cake I have been planning to make for months.

After a long day, I was tired and though I wanted to make the cake, I did not feel like waiting for the cupcakes to cool completely to ice them. Not to mention, I did not want to pull out the hand mixer to make the icing. Then I thought what if I baked the “icing” right into the cupcake. I had momentary flashbacks to an episode of I Love Lucy where Fred made a seven-layer cake and icing all in one pan and it came out flat as a pancake. I decided to treat the red velvet cupcakes like the black bottom cupcakes I made in the past. The results were fabulous, if I do say so myself!

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Cake Batter
- 1/2 cup margarine (or butter) @ room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup apple sauce
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 bottle red food coloring (about 1/2 ounce)
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 5 tbs unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vinegar

Mix together the dry ingredients- flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Cream together the margarine and sugar. Once creamy beat in the apple sauce and eggs. Lastly, add the vanilla, food coloring, and vinegar to the wet mixture.

Into the wet mixture- Add in about 1/3 of the flour mixture and whisk until combined. Add in about 1/2 of the buttermilk and whisk until combine. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture whisk until combined. Add the last 1/2 buttermilk whisk until combined. Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and which until combined. Set aside the red velvet cake batter.

Cream Cheese Filling
- 8oz cream cheese
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla

Warm the cream cheese in the microwave to soften. It should be soft and easily stirred with a fork, but not runny. Add the egg and vanilla and beat together. Lastly add in the sugar.

Assembly

Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full with the red velvet cake batter. Then spoon on (or pout) the cream cheese filling until the enter top of the red velvet batter is covered. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for nearly 40-45 minutes. When a toothpick is inserted in the center and comes out clean the cupcakes are finished. Also, the cream cheese will began to take on a slightly light brown color. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, drizzle melted white chocolate across the top for an added touch of sweetness and décor.