TASTE
Scream for lightened red velvet cupcakes
| • | Sweetened cause |
By Elaine Magee
| |||
 |
|
||
Q. I am in love with those red velvet cupcakes with the cream-cheese frosting. I would like to try making them at home the Recipe Doctor way. Can you help?
A. These are literally everywhere in New York and moving west. I know these are more of a Valentine's Day dessert, but if you think about it, they are pretty ghoulish with their "blood" red color.
We are going to make these cupcakes as light and healthful as possible by using less sugar (1 1/2 cups instead of 2), half whole-wheat flour, and a lot less fat than is called for in a traditional red velvet cupcake. One recipe I looked at called for 3/4 cup butter; the other used 1 1/2 cups oil! I used the 3/4 cup butter for the comparison below, but there would have been an even bigger difference in calories and fat grams if I had compared it to the cup oil recipe. We are switching to a smart fat, too, that will add very little saturated fat and will contribute mostly monounsaturated fat and plant omega-3s canola oil.
For the frosting, we are whipping up half as much frosting (a little goes a long way) and using light cream cheese and whipped butter (which has less fat than regular) or less-fat margarine with 8 grams of fat per tablespoon.
Original recipe contains 325 calories, 15 grams of fat, 9 grams saturated fat, and 63 milligrams cholesterol per cupcake (if 24 per recipe).
LIGHT RED VELVET CUPCAKES WITH FLUFFY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
FOR THE FROSTING:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake pans with paper or foil liners. For cake, coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan or two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans with canola cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine whole-wheat flour, white flour, salt and cocoa powder; whisk together to blend; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, oil and sour cream and beat on medium speed until nicely blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Pour in food coloring and vanilla and beat on low speed until combined; stop to scrape sides of mixing bowl after about 10 seconds of mixing. While mixer is beating on low speed, add half of the flour mixture, then half of the buttermilk, then the rest of the flour mixture and the rest of the buttermilk, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl as needed. Turn off mixer.
Place baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl and stir to blend. Quickly beat the bubbling mixture into the red velvet batter for about 10 seconds. Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter (at least) into each cupcake paper (or pour into the prepared baking pans). Bake until a fork inserted in the center of the largest cupcake comes out clean (about 20 minutes for cupcakes and 30 minutes for cakes).
Make frosting while cakes bake. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and whipped butter on medium-high speed until creamy (about 90 seconds).
With speed on low, add vanilla extract and 1 cup of powdered sugar, and once it's incorporated into the butter mixture, beat on high speed for about 10 seconds. Scrape down sides of the bowl. On low speed, slowly add in another cup of powdered sugar. Once it has been blended in, beat the mixture on high speed for about 10 seconds. Scrape down sides of the bowl and on low speed add remaining powdered sugar until you reach your desired frosting texture (1/2 cup to 1 cup more).
This frosting will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week.
Makes 24 cupcakes.
Elaine Magee is author of "The Recipe Doctor Cookbook" and "The Flax Cookbook." Readers may reach her through her Web site at www.recipedoctor.com. Personal responses can't be provided. This column is distributed by Knight Ridder News Service.
