Half-birthdays and Easy-peasy Red Velvet Cupcakes

Hellooooo domestic rockstars! :)

Today is my 4-year-old's half-birthday. Yes, you read it right. My little panganay (first-born) turned half a year today. Look, I know it's not really a holiday or whatevs. But in this household, this mommy celebrates her children's half-year birthdays.

Happy half-birthday to youuuuuuu... :)

So today I made Renee one of the most typical (and popular) birthday food--pancit. The other most popular and most typical is spaghetti. People here believe that serving noodle/pasta dishes would give the celebrant a long life. I'm not really superstitious, but I made it because my kids love pancit. I added some of those rabbit-shaped fish cakes. I was inspired after seeing it on a sotanghon soup from Bebengisms. My daughter loves those and I thought I'd incorporate it. Suffice to say, my picky-eater ate a plateful of pancit. For dessert, she ate one regular-size and a couple mini red velvets! Oh and she blew her candle on one of those cupcakes, which I topped with cream cheese frosting and chocolate sprinkles.

Now, if you think I am sharing some recipe with you today, well, YOU. ARE. RIGHT.

I have been asked by a lot of people I know--moms mostly, about my red velvet cupcake recipe. So for everyone's benefit, I am sharing it now to you all. :)


You will need the following to make the batter:

1 1/4 cups flour; sifted
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups vegetable oil
1 egg; room temperature
1 tbsp red food color (about half a bottle of McCormick's food color)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp white vinegar

***If you have no buttermilk, mix half a tablespoon of white vinegar (or lemon juice) and 1/2 cup of fresh milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes before you pour on the red velvet mixture.


Procedure:

1. Pre-heat oven in 350 degrees.
2. Line cupcake molds/tins with cupcake liners.
3. Mix all ingredients together, dry ones first. Stir until there are no more lumps.
4. Pour batter onto the mold/tin, filling only 3/4 of it.
5. Pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes OR cook in steamer for 15 minutes.
6. Set aside and let the cupcakes cool.
7. Once cool, pipe frosting (or dollop using spoon) onto the cupcakes, or dust with confectioner's sugar.

Freshly-made red velvets. Cool them off for a
few minutes, so the frosting won't melt.

Now, since I used cream cheese frosting for my baby's cupcakes, I'll share with you the frosting recipe as well. :)

Cream cheese frosting will need:

1/3 cup butter (1/3 of a brick of butter); softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup cream cheese

Mix all ingredients together until there are no more lumps. Spread them over the cupcakes. You can even add some sprinkles, mallows, sliced fruits, nuts or chocolate chips, if you want!

Ta-daaaaaa!!!
My red velvets with candy sprinkles (top left),
chocolate sprinkles (top right), and chocolate chips (bottom).

Renee was so excited upon learning this afternoon that I'll be making her fave red velvets. She offered to help me make them! So yea, that's a mommy-and-me tag-team effort you are seeing there, while little Allie was playing "tu-to" (Tagalog: luto; English: cook) with all the kitchen toys her big sister gave her. :)

I hope you ladies (and prolly some gents, too!) would enjoy making these.

Happy cooking (and eating)!



XO,
Aryanne