Even a red velvet skeptic can't resist these delicious cupcakes. Thanks, Paula Deen!
(photo by Jenn Harris)

I am a red velvet skeptic.  I hear a lot of hype involving these unusually dark red cupcakes and I am hesitant to believe it all.  Every time I've tried a red velvet cake or cupcake I haven't been impressed.  I don't really understand the need for all the food coloring and I think it just kind of tastes like a plain cupcake with a faint hint of chocolate.

So, I got to thinking. If 10 out of 10 of my friends say their favorite cupcake is red velvet and there are die hard fans that swear by these cupcakes, why don't I like them? The problem is either that I will just never like them, or that I just haven't had a good one yet; I'm going to go with the latter.

This week it was my mission to find and make a great red velvet cupcake, so I went online and looked around.  The general consensus is that the Food Network's southern belle Paula Deen makes the best red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  When I scanned through about a hundred of the 407 raving reviews on the Food Network website and others found floating around online I decided it was my duty as a red velvet skeptic to give the recipe a try.

The verdict:

The cupcakes are really moist, a tad sweet and almost buttery in taste and texture.  The frosting is thick, creamy and not too sweet. The cupcakes by themselves are great but when you add the frosting, the little red devils, as I now call them due to their addictive nature, are simply amazing. I baked the cupcakes the next day for a birthday party to rave reviews. I'm still not a fan of the red velvet cupcakes at cupcake boutiques I've been to but I am officially a red velvet convert--as long as I make them.

Paula Deen's recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes:

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 * I used 1 cup oil the second time I made them and I liked the texture better.
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 bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder and set aside.  In another bowl, mix the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth.

Spoon the batter evenly into the cupcake pan filling each one 2/3 full.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from the cupcake pan and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar on low speed, beat until incorporated. Mix until light and fluffy.

Garnish with whatever you like.  Walnuts, rasberries or sprinkles always do the trick.