Mmm Mmm Good: Red Velvet Snacks
My red velvet cupcakes are one of the more yummy and
special varieties of cupcakes there are. Don’t be fooled by the name, red velvet cupcakes are a an amazing cupcake that tastes like heaven. They are mostly frosted with cream cheese frosting, though once in a while they are iced with boiled frosting.
Red velvet might seem a strange name for these cupcakes. However, the answer is clear. A handful of rumors have spread about the origin of the name. And no, originally dye is not what allowed red velvet cupcakes their red color. Rumor has it that during WWI in consequence of the sugar shortage, women were using sugar beets to make things sweet. This caused the cake to turn red. This tale is incorrect. Sugar beets are white and that wasn’t what lent red velvet cupcakes their special color. Rather it is a reaction between the unprocessed cocoa powder and the acid in the buttermilk that lends the color to these tasty desserts. At first, cocoa was of a greater paler color and thus we could see the red in the red velvet cupcakes. Now cocoa is much more brown, so generally a good amount of food coloring is added to the recipe. I would rather bake them red in the old school way, as food coloring is bad for you and no need to make your red velvet cupcake a health hazard!
As for the frostings, boiled frosting is a great frosting which is light and airy and at the same time thick and creamy. It goes nicely with your red velvet cupcakes. Though most people do prefer the more common cream cheese frosting.