Red Velvet Cupcakes

Heart Shaped Red Velvet Cupcakes

Valentine's Day 2012

 These cupcakes were absolutely amazing! I found the recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/red-velvet-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting-recipe/index.html. Paula Deen is awesome. I followed her recipe exactly, except for adding a little extra cocoa. The overall recipe was easy to follow, and turned out perfectly. I wish I could have these cupcakes every day!

I was messing around on Pinterest, and found a heartshaped cupcake. I thought, "What better cupcake for Valentine's day?!" Not to mention, it's simple to do. All you have to do is place a marble in the pan on the outside of the cupcake liner before you place the batter in. Let the cupcakes bake with the marbles in the oven. It was a little hard to get them to stay put, so it was easiest to put the marble in, then place the batter in right away. I also found it was easier to fill the cupcakes only about 1/2 full instead of 3/4 because these cupcakes do rise a bit more than normal cupcakes. Even without frosting I thought they looked good enough to eat right then! I was a little hesitant when I was making these. I don't make cupcakes all too often, especially red velvet cupcakes. I usually stick to just brownies and bars.. I thought these cupcakes were using an awful lot of oil so I thought for sure these weren't going to turn out.

The frosting? To die for. It was absolutely amazing! It was just a basic cream cheese frosting, but, it was the best frosting I had ever tasted. I could have probably just sat there and eaten the whole bowl..but that's gross..right? :) The other frosting recipe I tried was a lot harder, and didn't turn out exactly the way I wanted. This frosting was perfect. Easy, light, fluffy, delicious. Did I mention it was amazing?

I even got all professional and squeezed the frosting onto the cupcakes. I just used a ziploc baggie and the attachments for a frosting squeezer...it did get a bit messy because every time I squeezed, the frosting would try to squeeze out of the top of the baggie. It's also easiest if you put the frosting right into the corner you're squeezing out of. 

I mean look at the end product..doesn't it look amazing?! They were like heaven in your mouth.