This recipe makes a small amount of cupcakes or one 9“ round cake. Feel free to double or triple to make more.
Ingredients:
Cake:
1 cup + 1 tablespoon cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/4 cup (2 ounces or 1/2 a stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Frosting:
1 cup mascarpone or cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4-3/4 cup powdered sugar, to taste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest and juice of 1 lemon
sprinkles, if you like fun
Equipment:
standing or hand-held mixer + bowl
cupcake pan
Method:
Cupcakes:
- Pre-heat oven to 350F/180C
- Prepare your cupcake pans with liners or by buttering.
- In a small bowl, sift together cake flour, salt and cacao powder.
- Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract. Scrape down the bowl and the beaters and beat until the egg and butter mixture is homogenous and fluffy.
- In a measuring cup or bowl, mix the red food coloring with the buttermilk.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and switch to mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or stiff rubber spatula. Mix in half of the flour mixture, then add the buttermilk mixture, then the remaining flour mixture.
- In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar and baking soda. It will fizz up. Mix it in to the batter.
- Fill your cupcake molds a little more than half way up the sides. The easiest way to do this is to transfer the batter to a large measuring cup or pitcher and pour it in.
- Place cupcake pan on a baking sheet and place it into the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until tops feel springy and tester comes out clean.
- Cool completely before frosting. Frosting:
A time management tip is to make the frosting while your cupcakes are in the oven and refrigerate it until your cupcakes are completely cool.
- Beat mascarpone or cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest and juice either in a food processor (blade attachment), stand mixer (paddle attachment), or a bowl with a hand mixer. Beat until smooth with no lumps.
- You want a frosting that can stand up and keep it’s shape, not one that is too soft and beginning to melt. Depending on how hot your kitchen is, you can either use this immediately or cover with plastic and chill for 1 hour in the fridge.
- When you are ready to frost, you can use a piping bag fitted with your favorite tip, like a star tip. Or you can just swirl it on with a offset spatula or spoon.
- Once your cupcakes are frosted, add sprinkles to your frosting if you wish.
- You can leave your cupcakes at room temperature if your kitchen is cool, ~70 degrees. If you have a warm kitchen, best to store them in the refrigerator.