Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Happy October!

My favorite month of the entire year is here-consisting of things like my birthday (I celebrate the whole month….), Halloween (one of my favorite holidays), changing colors of the leaves, football games, and fall-inspired food, of course.  I have a lot of fun things planned for the blog this month, including some little public service announcements and awareness for a few causes on top of some great recipes.  This is a celebratory month for me.

Speaking of celebratory, these cupcakes were for my new friend, Mari Paz’s, birthday.  Mari Paz and I are extremely similar.  We’re both libras, both left-handed, both the second daughter in a line of daughter-daughter-daughter-son families, and we are both in the medical field (geographically, though, we are from different parts of the world: Mari Paz is from Mexico and I am from Indiana…..).  Mari Paz has been so much fun to work with-she always finds the positive side in things and is incredibly hard-working and supportive of her colleagues.  There need to be more people in this world like Mari Paz (the other residents I work with are pretty fantastic, too, I might add…..).  I’ll introduce you to them when their birthdays roll around.

When I asked Mari Paz what choice of cupcake she would like, I was delighted to hear “red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting”.  Ah, a girl after my own heart.  I haven’t posted a red velvet cake recipe (only pink velvet) because I wanted to find *the* red velvet cake recipe.  I was a little overwhelmed with all of the different recipes out there, so I scoured through several before deciding on this one, from King Arthur Flour company.  I chose my go-to cream cheese frosting from Martha Stewart, but I substituted a real vanilla bean for the flavoring.  Nothing beats real vanilla beans, folks.  Except for real vanilla beans in a cream-cheese frosting-topped red velvet cupcake.

Smooth and slightly chocolate-y, these cupcakes were great.  I have found some recipes that have been called “too dry” or “too bland”, but this one was great.  It was mellow and smooth.  But, let’s be honest here.  The frosting is what steals the show on these little treats.

Happy October, everyone!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

Servings: 12 cupcakes

 

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 and 1/3 cups sugar

2 large eggs

Red food coloring gel, to desired tint

3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon white vinegar

2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup buttermilk

For the frosting:

8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese, at room temperature

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 whole vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds removed

Instructions

1. For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line a cupcake pan with the liners of your choice.

3. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes or so.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is smooth.

5. Add the food coloring gel, cocoa, salt, baking soda, and vinegar, mixing until well-combined.

6. Add the flour and buttermilk, alternating with one another, starting and ending with the flour.

7. Evenly divide the cupcake batter between your lined cupcake pans and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes or so.

8. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.

9. For the cream cheese frosting: In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer-whatever you have), cream the cream cheese and butter together until smooth.

10. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the confectioners’ sugar until smooth.

11. Add the seeds from the vanilla bean and mix until thoroughly combined.

12. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, pipe the frosting as desired (I used my Wilton 1M tip) on top of the cupcakes.

 

Sources:  Cupcakes slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour Company and frosting adapted from Martha Stewart.

 

October 1, 2011 - 8:31 am

Lauren at Keep It Sweet - The vanilla bean cream cheese frosting sounds wonderful and I love your pretty sprinkles!

October 1, 2011 - 11:09 am

Notyet100 - Feel like picking one ,,,:) looks yum,.

October 1, 2011 - 2:03 pm

Heather - I just licked the bowl that was filled with this frosting! It was the perfect topper to the rainbow cupcakes that I made for a friend’s daughter’s birthday. Rainbows, candy buttons & vanilla bean..what age group would NOT love some or every aspect of this cupcake?! Your post had impeccable timing. Thank you!

Cheers!
Heather @ Find That Warm Fuzzy Feeling

October 2, 2011 - 8:54 am

Katrina - I love a good red velvet recipe. This one sounds fabulous!

October 2, 2011 - 10:44 am

easyfoodsmith - I have been thinking since long to make red velvet cake and I am again inspired seeing your red velvet cup cakes!! They look scrumptious 🙂

October 2, 2011 - 3:12 pm

Ali - Wow your cupcake is out of this world. Looks so great, Yummy!!! Totally love the frosting. Great photos

October 2, 2011 - 3:51 pm

Jeanette - ahh! you always come up with the best recipes! 🙂 i’ve featured your fab recipes on my blog about 3 times now!

xo jeanette
http://www.simplychicforcheap.wordpress.com

October 2, 2011 - 7:39 pm

Karen | Divine Dinner Party - These cupcakes look astonishing! I’ve been longing to make red velvet cupcakes for some time now and this post kinda’ pushed me a little to actually make some as soon as I can. I’m heading to my kitchen now! Great photos btw.

October 4, 2011 - 12:52 am

bhavani@ameanderingmango - What beautiful little creations! I love the colour combinations – looks delicious too!

October 17, 2011 - 3:02 pm

Doll Play - Wow! These cupcakes are adorable and the color on them is divine! Thank you for sharing the recipe with us!

February 25, 2012 - 11:07 am

Kelly - Wow! I’m also a Libra, left handed and I have a medical degree. I love Red velvet cupcakes 😀

October 5, 2012 - 5:27 am

Cheddar Scallion Cornbread

I suppose it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t post a cornbread recipe to go with the chili I posted the other day.  I mean, because chili and cornbread go together like peas and carrots, right?

Here’s the deal.  I love a good traditional sweet cornbread, but I was looking for a savory version this time.  And I wanted something cheesy.  Like, melt in your mouth, ooey-gooey, cheesy, buttery cornbread.  And, yes, this one fits that bill.

I went ahead and splurged with the cheese here.  Since I live by the Cabot Creamery, I decided to take advantage of their “reserve” extra (extra) sharp cheddar here.  Like, it’s so sharp that it crumbled (think almost like blue cheese) when I removed the wax rind from the cheese.  It definitely packed a punch in the way of cheese, and it melted down so incredibly nicely.  There were nice little pockets of cheese in the middle of the cornbread…I ended up just crumbling the bread on top of the chili.  The scallions definitely add a little boost of flavor, too, but I am guessing that you could add bits of whatever herb you have on hand.  Anything goes well with cheese…and corn.

And, can I just say, once again, that I absolutely love this time of year?

 

Cheddar and Scallion Cornbread

Servings: about 8 servings

Ingredients

1 and 1/4 cup cornmeal (not stone-ground)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 ounces extra (or extra-extra sharp) cheddar cheese, grated

2-3 scallions, thinly sliced

2/3 cup whole milk

2/3 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Generously grease a round 9-inch cake pan; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

4. Gently fold in the grated cheddar cheese and scallions, mixing until combined.

5. In another medium bowl, whisk together the milk, buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter.

6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisking until just combined.

7. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.

 

Source: Gourmet via Epicurious.

 

September 29, 2011 - 6:42 am

peach - Now that sounds good! with some Chili! YUM

September 29, 2011 - 9:06 am

srlacy - Thanks, Peach!

September 29, 2011 - 10:51 am

Shawnda - I tend to like my cornbread sweeter, too, but scallions and cheese are an awesome addition!

September 29, 2011 - 12:37 pm

Deborah - This sounds so good! I’m a cornbread lover, and I’m loving this savory version!

September 29, 2011 - 4:46 pm

Jennifer - looks delicious! every fall i start to crave chili and cornbread. thanks for the recipe!

September 29, 2011 - 9:32 pm

Anna - Love it with lotsa cheese too. Won’t hurt to be cheesy sometimes…;)

October 2, 2011 - 1:58 pm

Jacquelyn - This looks delicious! I love cornbread and chili- thanks for sharing your recipes and for recommending Cabot cheese 🙂
~Jacquelyn

November 9, 2011 - 1:29 am

Recent Pins | Koko Likes - […] Cheddar Scallion Cornbread by The Curvy Carrot […]

November 12, 2011 - 10:56 pm

Recent Pins — Koko Likes - […] Cheddar Scallion Cornbread by The Curvy Carrot […]

November 24, 2011 - 2:29 pm

Maelina - Just made this. It came out delicious. I don’t care for sweet cornbread at all, so this is perfect. Only thing I’ll do next time is probably experiment with whole kernels of corn and jalapenos. Thank you!

Spicy Two-Bean Chili

 

Oh, hey, Fall.  Apparently you have decided to make your entrance to the New England area, haven’t you?  After a spell of half-gloomy, half-rainy days (and don’t forget a lovely cameo by Hurricane Irene), the days have gotten cooler and shorter and…well…honestly..simply beautiful.  I’ve been doing a lot of hiking out here recently with my girl Scout, and I still can’t get over how beautiful it is.  Now that the leaves are starting to change colors, the scenery has come alive with the greatest hues of red, orange, and bright yellow.  I know the best is still yet to come, but it’s like nothing I have ever seen.  Last year when I announced that this year would be my year-long vacation, I wasn’t kidding.  A girl could get used to this sort of scene. (Although, I will get back to you about this in the middle of January…ok?  Ok.)

Of course, a traditional fall (and football) food is chili.  And, for me, that means another easy and meat-free 100% vegan base recipe (I added the cheese on top, well, because you know that I will never ever leave my cheese, but this is completely optional, yet highly recommended).  I found this version, and I was immediately drawn to it for a couple of reasons.  Yes, it’s packed with protein in the form of two different versions of beans (black and kidney), but it had the sneaky addition of bulgur in it, adding an immense amount of fiber and filling me up on a lot less calories than traditional chili.  Bulgur is a form of wheat, a whole grain actually, so it packs a lot of protein and iron as well (I bought it in bulk at the local market).  I also love that carrots and red bell peppers are snuck into the dish without being overbearing.  I love being sneaky with vegetables.  I cut back on the amount of spice here, but I actually found that the heat was enough for me.  If you want, up the amount of jalapeno pepper by one or two, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Spicy Two Bean Chili

Servings: about 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 large jalapeno, seeded and minced

One 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes

3 cups water

Two 15-ounce cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Two 15-ounce cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup bulgur

2 tablespoons white vinegar

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 and 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. In a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering.

2. Add the onion, carrots, red bell pepper, and jalapeno, stirring occasionally until translucent and softened, about 8 minutes or so.

3. Add the crushed tomatoes, water, kidney and black beans, bulgur, vinegar, garlic, and spices to the mixture, stirring until combined.

4. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low.

5. Simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, at least 20 minutes or so.  Garnish with cheese, scallions, or the toppings of your choice.  Enjoy.

 

Source: Slightly adapted from Bon Appétit, via Epicurious.

 

September 27, 2011 - 5:17 am

Blog is the New Black - Not only are your pics gorgeous, but you’ve sold me on this veg dish with lots of protein! I’ve been trying to eat a little less meat lately (to save money and just to test my body) and I’ve been loving crock pot meals. This chili looks like a winner! I’ll be making it right after I make my sweet potato & black bean chili!

September 27, 2011 - 7:15 am

Alli - This is the perfect meal too welcome fall. Yum.

September 27, 2011 - 8:36 am

Laura - After an eye-opening experience with Josie’s bean burritos, I’m sold on beans. Thought a bean chili would be fabulous. Bookmarking this one, it looks great!

September 27, 2011 - 9:52 am

Melissa - This looks perfect…and I bet I could get my “eats no veegies” carnivorous bf to try it!

September 27, 2011 - 12:21 pm

Maggie @ A Bitchin' Kitchen - This looks delicious, and so perfect for fall. I’m not a vegetarian, but I actually prefer my chili meatless.

September 27, 2011 - 1:17 pm

Paula @ Dishing the Divine - This looks delicious! I love the addition of bulgur and veggies!

September 27, 2011 - 6:54 pm

Jeanette - wow, looks awesome! very filling i’m sure! 🙂

xo jeanette
http://www.simplychicforcheap.wordpress.com

September 27, 2011 - 10:22 pm

Annie - This looks great! A good friend and I are planning to get together in the next few weeks to make soup. We figured we’d make a weekend of it- each of us will make two different soups that we’ll split and freeze so we’ll have lots of yummy soup for winter. I already had one of my recipes picked out, and I think this one might be number 2!

September 28, 2011 - 4:47 am

Maria - Cool! My dad only makes one kind of chili, we should try a veggie one. ;]

September 28, 2011 - 7:07 am

Lori - Thanks for posting. I might have to make a batch for the Head of Charles. My son is competing! Can’t wait. I love Boston!

September 28, 2011 - 10:03 am

Anna - Time for some protein load…Without meat! Spicy is heavenly! Thanks for sharing…

September 28, 2011 - 10:49 am

Britne @ Shabbott's Habits - Oh yum! I just made chili the other night with ground turkey to keep it on the healthy side. But seeing these fantastic pictures makes me consider going meatless all together! Great recipe. Love the blog 🙂

September 28, 2011 - 12:29 pm

shaheen - This is the perfect chilli to usher in the autumn – fab colours too.

September 28, 2011 - 3:52 pm

The Farmers Wife - Oh yum… I adore chili and will eat it anytime of the year, but as soon as the weather starts to cool I always make up a giant pot for us to feast on! I love your recipe, it sounds positively delightful!

September 29, 2011 - 5:01 am

The Curvy Carrot » Cheddar Scallion Cornbread - […] suppose it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t post a cornbread recipe to go with the chili I posted the other day.  I mean, because chili and cornbread go together like peas and carrots, […]

October 1, 2011 - 7:19 pm

this week’s dose of inspiration. | simply chic. - […] spicy two-bean vegetarian chili {via The Curvy Carrot} […]

October 4, 2011 - 8:06 am

Kim K. - This was DELICIOUS! Made this Sunday and then reheated it for dinner last night. Perfect meatless Monday recipe, especially for Monday night football and the Colts!

October 4, 2011 - 9:10 am

srlacy - Woohoo! As an Indianapolis native, I agree! Go Colts!

October 19, 2011 - 7:22 pm

Amanda Gladu - I made this chili recipe last night and it was so delicious! I was a little skeptical of the short cooking time at first, but the consistency turned out to be perfect! just enough spice. Thanks!

October 27, 2011 - 3:03 pm

Avoid Seasonal Weight Gain with Healthy Versions of Fall Favorites - […] out there that pack just as much spicy flavor as their more fattening counterpart. Try this spicy-two-bean chili (The Curvy Carrot) for a meat-free alternative, or a great slow-cooker turkey chili (Amy Bites) for […]

October 28, 2011 - 4:44 am

Avoid Seasonal Weight Gain with Healthy Versions of Fall Favorites | SideTrack - […] out there that pack just as much spicy flavor as their more fattening counterpart. Try this spicy-two-bean chili (The Curvy Carrot) for a meat-free alternative, or a great slow-cooker turkey chili (Amy Bites) for […]

December 30, 2011 - 8:37 pm

Angie - I found your recipe on Pinterest and made it last night — Delicious!!! Thanks for a great recipe — I will be using it again and again.

May 9, 2013 - 8:13 am

Spicy Two Bean Chili - […] For recipe visit:  thecurvycarrot.com […]

October 16, 2013 - 8:55 pm

Amy - Love this recipe!!! The kids even had seconds! Only thing I changed was green pepper instead of red.