The Cupcake Craze

After seeing this photo searching the web I started thinking about cupcakes and started to get realllyyy hungary.

I also realized that cupcakes have become one of the biggest trends in the food industry recently and I have a feeling they are not going anywhere. It seems like everyone is on the quest to perfect the cupcake. The perfect moist cake, and icing that does not dry up. If you can find perfect harmony between the cake base and icing you are golden. And if you happen to open up shop in a cute little neighborhood I'm sure you will have a booming cupcake business. Everyone loves cupcakes. They also seem to be the subject of a lot of my recent conversations. Just the other day in class I was discussing cupcake shops in atlanta, and d.c. which was completely off topic but everyone joined in anyway. And yesterday I was talking to my cousin about making Roger Hargreaves themed cupcakes. If you do not know who Roger Hargreaves is, he is the author who created books likes this:

I thought it was a cute idea and she agreed. Out of all the cupcakes I've had red velvet is always my favorite. Besides the Halloween themed cupcake I had in elementary school which I still remember, it was moist chocolate cake, with vanilla icing and gummy worms on top. I still dream of that cupcake. But when I am not dreaming of my elementary Halloween cupcake I am hunting down the perfect red velvet cupcake. So far I have fallen head over heals for the Red Velvet Cupcake at YoCake in my local mall back home. Although it is just a mall food court stand, their cupcakes are absolutely delicious. As I was talking about before, there is a perfect balance between the cake and the icing. Here is a Red Velvet cupcake recipe from Paula Deen that I'm sure will be just as delightful.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.

Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/red-velvet-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting-recipe/index.html