Red Velvet Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Nathan’s preschool was doing a fete to raise some money for buying the Air con. It is always a harsh summer and this fund raising is for our kids comfort and well being . So, all we mums would do anything in our power and abilities to help. All mums were handed an empty cake box one week before the day. We can make absolutely everything, it doesn’t matter. I made up my mind with cupcakes as usual. Easy, quick and yummy

I have always wanted to make red velvet cupcakes. Almost every reviews on any version of rev velvet recipes on the web are really positive, and I felt like missing out on these amazing cupcakes. It must be really really good.  I decided to make Ms. Stewart’s cupcakes. Well, I couldn’t take any chances and chose someone else recipes. If the cupcakes failed, I am doomed. I made the cupcakes in the middle of the night to be used the day after. And Ms. Stewart’s recipes never failed me.

I had been researching on how to frost and decorate the cupcakes for days. Lots of interesting ideas but couldn’t be achieved due to time constraint (another self excuses of mine). I was thinking of doing chrysanthemum flower frosting, but then I don’t have the tip. Then I decided to make sunflower frosting, but my leaf tip is way to big. Oh whatever, I just went with the sunflower idea using my big leaf tip, and taaaa daaaaa. They didn’t really look like a sunflower, but it didn’t matter. Nobody know what they supposed to be anyway, except they were pretty flower cupcakes.

All the cakes slices and cupcakes were sold $ 2 each, except mine and one box of cupcakes (a mum bought them in cupcakes store). Ours are sold $ 3 each. How flattered I was to be sold as expensive as the well known store bought cupcakes.

If you could see the colour of my Swiss Meringue butter cream, you’ll notice the colour varied slightly. It wasn’t intentional. The frosting literally melt while I piped them. It wasn’t the beginning though, it was the left over icing on the bag. I try to put just enough butter cream to be piped within 5 minutes time frame. More than that time frame, the butter cream left would slightly melt and darker in colour. To make it worst, we don’t have air con in our apartment and it was summer.

My verdict for these red velvet cupcakes is LOVING them. The textures were moist and soft. I think it was because the recipe asked for cake flour instead of plain flour. We don’t have cake flour here in Australia, so I followed this method. Although the flour need to be sifted 5 times and requires muscle work, they are worth the hassle.The only thing that I will do differently next time I make them is to omit the red colouring.

For the recipe, click here. For the frosting, you could use cream cheese or butter cream. I think cream cheese will taste so much better. I am a big fan of cream cheese

Please leave your comment/suggestion if you find this recipe useful. Can’t wait to hear from you and Thank You !!!