(from the Hummingbird Bakery’s website)
AH!
(from the Hummingbird Bakery’s website)
I turned to the ingredients list for help:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons red food coloring
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
Hm. So what exactly differentiates it from vanilla and chocolate cupcakes?
A cursory look at the ingredients list reveals: (1) the use of buttermilk instead of regular whole milk, and (2) the use of baking soda and vinegar as a chemical leavening agent as opposed to baking powder.
The Hummingbird Bakery’s Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons red food coloring
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 (F).
- Put the butter and the sugar in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy and well mixed (approximately 5 minutes).
- When everything is well mixed, turn the mixer up to high speed and slowly add the egg. Beat until everything is well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa, red food coloring, and vanilla to make a thick, dark paste.
- Add to the butter mixture and mix thoroughly until evenly combined and colored, scraping any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Turn the mixer down to slow speed and slowly pour in half the buttermilk. Beat until well mixed, but be careful not to overmix.
- Add half the flour and beat until everything is well incorporated. Repeat this process until all the buttermilk and flour have been added, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- When all the buttermilk and flour have been added, turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until you have a smooth, even batter.
- Turn the mixer down to a lower speed and add the salt, baking soda, and vinegar. Beat until well mixed, then turn up the speed again and beat for a couple more minutes.
- Spoon the batter into cupcake cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. When ready, the cake tops should bounce back when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean. Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
jackieoh316 says
Is this the original Hummingbird Red Velvet Cupcake recipe or did you reduce the amount of cocoa powder and red food coloring to make it high altitude friendly? I'm a little confused because as I was reading this I was under the assumption you didn't change anything except the amount of time you beat the sugar. Your cupcakes look amazing and I also live in Denver and was looking for a red velvet that worked.
michelle lopez says
Hey Jackieoh! So the recipe in this post is the exact same one from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook without any high-altitude adjustments. After doing several test runs, I figured that this recipe works perfectly fine in Denver — so you're right, I didn't do anything but change the amount of time I beat the sugar. You can find the "adjusted for high-altitude" recipe here: http://hummingbirdhigh.blogspot.com/2012/03/hummingbird-bakery-red-velvet-cupcakes.html , but it's basically the same recipe as this one but with specific instructions on how much time it takes to beat the batter at each step. Let me know if that makes sense, or if you have any more questions — I'm happy to help out!
jackieoh316 says
Thanks Michelle!! That makes perfect sense. I'm going to try this recipe this week! Thanks for this blog. It's strange but some of my sea level recipes work in Denver and some do not. Good to know this one works!
I will let you know the outcome.