Celebrate National Cup Cake Day this month by making these delicious Red Velvet beauties – and help the Alzheimer’s Society at the same time
It’s National Cupcake Day on 17 June, and the Alzheimer’s Society is hoping as many people as possible will dust off their baking trays and make lots of the gooey goodies to sell to friends and relatives. Each cupcake sold will help raise money for vital support services – like the Dementia Connect support line – which have been used nearly three million times since March. What better excuse to give some help to a great cause while feasting on some tasty treats? Here’s some inspiration with a recipe for delicious red velvet cupcakes courtesy of food author and nutritionist Joy Skipper. Enjoy!
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Makes 12
Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
Ingredients:
- 50g unsalted butter, softened
- 150g caster sugar
- 50ml vegetable oil
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 100ml natural yoghurt or buttermilk
- 1tsp white wine vinegar
- 150g plain flour, sifted
- 1tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
- 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2tsp red food colouring
For the icing:
- 100g unsalted butter, softened
- 225g icing sugar, sifted
- ½ tsp red food colouring
- red sprinkles (optional)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C, 160°C fan, Gas mark 5. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the oil, followed by the egg, yoghurt and vinegar. Fold in the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and red food colouring, until you have a smooth batter. Divide between the 12 paper cases and bake for 25 minutes, until lightly risen and springy to the touch. Remove the cakes from the tin and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Cream together the butter and icing sugar. Divide the mixture in half and add the red food colouring to one half. Spoon the red icing into one plastic piping bag and the white into another. Cut the ends of both and then place both of these together into a third piping bag with a star shaped nozzle.
Pipe the icing onto the cooled cakes to give a two-tone topping and sprinkle with red sprinkles.