Red Velvet Cupcakes

Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

I received a cupcake cookbook called "Babycakes" along with mother-daughter matching vintage cupcake aprons as a gift over the weekend. Olivia and I immediately decided that cupcakes would be on the blog recipe docket this week. This cookbook is unique because the recipes are gluten free, mostly vegan and mostly low sugar. As many of you know already, I eat sugar and gluten and I am not vegan or even vegetarian. I am however, always interested in trying a new type of cooking. I leafed through the book and immediately decided on the following Red Velvet Cupcake recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rice milk

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 1/4 cup whole spelt flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

2/3 cup coconut oil

1 1/4 cups Agave Nectar

2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

5 Tbsp natural red food coloring

vanilla frosting

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. Pour rice milk and apple cider vinegar into small bowl, but do not stir; set aside to develop into "buttermilk".

In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add oil, agave nectar and vanilla to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Batter will be thick. Using plastic spatula, add "buttermilk" and mix just until combined. Slowly add food coloring by the tablespoon until batter is desired color. Do not exceed 6 tablespoons, as this will make batter too wet.

Pour 1/3 cup batter into each prepared cup, almost filling each. Bake cupcakes on center rack for 24 minutes, rotating the tins 180 degrees after 14 minutes. Finished cupcakes will bounce back slightly when pressed, and toothpick inserted in center will come out clean. Let cupcakes stand in tins for 20 minutes, then transfer them to wire rack and cool completely. Using frosting knife, gently spread 1 tablespoon frosting over each cupcake. Store cupcakes in airtight container in refrigerator for up to three days.

The recommended frosting for these cupcakes was a soy-based vanilla frosting from the same cookbook. I have a mild allergy to soy so I was not able to use the recipe. I instead chose an organic vanilla frosting mix by a brand called Dr. Oetker. The frosting is clearly not vegan since it calls for 1/3 cup of butter and 1/4 cup of milk. It is tasty for sure but I rationed out the amount for each cupcake in order to avoid excess fat from copious amounts of butter. I must admit however, that butter cream frosting is delectable! Oh, and as an added bonus, my sous chef is adorable.

Regarding the cupcake part of the recipe, the verdict is in. We are not fans of Agave Nectar at our house. It seems to leave an indescribable aftertaste and a strange feeling in the throat. I really liked several things about this recipe but if I was to prepare it again, I would need to find a substitute for Agave Nectar. I understand the main perk of agave; it takes longer to absorb into the bloodstream so it doesn't shoot blood sugar up the way refined sugars do. Even with this health benefit, I can't bond with it.

One of my favorite aspects of the recipe is that it calls for coconut oil, which is fabulous for our bodies. The oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids, packed with lauric acid and stores as energy, not fat. It also supports proper function of the thyroid, which helps boost metabolism. I seem to like the flavor and consistency of all things coconut so it is hardly a surprise that I favor coconut oil. I also appreciate that the recipe creates "buttermilk" by combining apple cider vinegar and rice milk. This is such an interesting concept. As I stated before, I am not vegan or vegetarian, but I do appreciate a healthy cooking trick to keep up my sleeve.

Other than my dislike for Agave Nectar, the only disappointment in the recipe is that despite my use of the required amount of natural food coloring, my cupcakes were still more brown than red. I guess that makes them Brown Velvet Cupcakes? Thank goodness my sous chef decided to add red sprinkles to half of the cupcakes. :)

Recipe Source:

"Babycakes" by Erin McKenna

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