Red Velvet Cupcakes

I have made these red velvet cupcakes at least a dozen times. Every time I make them, they always bring a smile to my face and to those around me. I make these cupcakes whenever I need a pick-me-up. Last year was one of those times. It was one of the most difficult, but also one of the most exciting times of my life. It was a year of very low lows, but also very high highs…going up and down like a ferris wheel.

If you know me, you’ll know that I was in dietetics and was in the process of completing my dietetic internship to become a dietitian. The year started off at a high. I was doing well in my internship. I landed a job doing something I absolutely loved. I even started learning to drive, which I had put off for years. Life was looking good and I could not have been happier with where things were headed. Or so at least I thought.

Things soon took a turn for the worse and life started to head in a downward spiral. I got sick during my internship, had to take time off, had trouble readjusting, made mistakes, ended up failing a placement and having to redo it, then ended up failing that too and was told to withdraw from the program. I was devastated. Something I had been working towards for the last 6 years was coming to an end and I no longer knew what to do with my life. I had lost a huge part of my identity. Never had I failed so badly in my life, especially in something I had worked so long and hard for.

Everything around me seemed to no longer matter and I lost all my motivation. I felt depressed, scared, angry, ashamed, guilty and lost. But it was in these times, the lowest lows that you realize that there is no other way to go from here but up. When people say that failure is a part of success, it is true. When you fail, you realize what you really want and you learn from your past mistakes to make a better future. My advisor shared this quote with me prior to my graduation day:

“Accept your past without regret, Handle your present with confidence & Face your future without fear.”

So that’s exactly what I did. Slowly but surely, I rediscovered myself, what I wanted in life and what was important to me. What really helped me most during this time was a trip to Japan with my significant other. I was so happy as I was surrounded by delicious food and had so many experiences that brought absolute joy to my life. It was an opportunity to clear my mind of all the negative thoughts, to remove myself from an environment that reminded me everyday of my failure and to see life from a different perspective. I came back renewed with a new sense of self and motivation. The motivation that actually got me to start this blog. Now, i’m working in a bakery following my passion and teaching pregnant moms how to cook healthy meals for their families. Life had somehow made another 180 degree turn and i’m once again high on life and happier than ever.

TL;DR

Life is like a ferris wheel.

Enjoy the highs and ride through the lows. Remember that there is no other way to go but up when life seems to have hit an all time low.

Now that the real talk is over…let’s dive into these “red” velvet cupcakes! Okay so these cupcakes aren’t quite “red” as I don’t like dumping a whole bottle of red food colouring into my cupcakes, but I can ensure you they are definitely tasty! In fact, these red velvet cupcakes are my boyfriend’s absolute favourite! He asks me to make these for every single special occasion. They are true bites of happiness! In honour of this post, I put them on the cutest little ferris wheel. The best part of these cupcakes is definitely the cream cheese frosting. I don’t like traditional cream cheese frosting as I find it too heavy so I prefer this lightened version with whipped cream. If you feel like life has hit you hard, try baking up one of these cupcakes. They will be sure to bring a smile to your face and just remember…life will get better. Stay positive. You can get through this. I believe in you.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Recipe by Mimi Ju

3.5 from 2 votes

Course: DessertDifficulty: Medium

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Total Time

40

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted*

• 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

• 3/4 cups sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup buttermilk**

• 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• Cream cheese frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted

• 2/3 cup whipping cream

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder in a bowl.
• In a mixing bowl, beat butter with a stand mixer until soft. Then add sugar and beat until fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla extract.
• Add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture in three additions, starting and ending with flour. Mix batter in between additions.
• Combine vinegar and baking soda in a small bowl. Quickly fold into batter.
• Scoop batter into cupcake liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
• Cream cheese frosting
• In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Mix in vanilla extract and icing sugar.
• In another bowl, whip cream to stiff peaks. Fold 1/4 of the whipped cream into cream cheese mixture to lighten. Then gently fold in remaining whipped cream.
• Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

Notes

• *Make your own cake flour by combining 1 1/8 cup all purpose flour + 1/8 cup cornstarch
• **Make your own buttermilk by mixing 1/2 cup milk with 1 teaspoon of vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
• Adapted from Joy of Baking

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