Happy Birthday, Cupcakes and Sexy Polar Bears, Oh My!

My friend Liz's birthday party was Saturday night, so, as per usual, shenanigans ensued. For blog purposes, shenanigans consisted of some crazy-good red velvet cupcakes for my favorite posse, also known as the Sexy Polar Bears. Yeah, we're that cool! To top off the coolness, I brought these cupcakes to our favorite margarita-spot that sits outside on a plaza in Midtown. What is better than friends, cupcakes and margaritas?!

On another note, I really don't get the whole insanity surrounding red velvet cake. In essence, it is just cake with red food coloring. If I played by these rules, I could just dye cake green and call it green-silk cake, right?! No? Fine.

These turned out yummy, nonetheless. By the end of the night, with a few cupcakes left, the wait staff was all surrounding our table begging for a cupcake. This was good news for all my margarita-consuming friends! I used a red velvet cake recipe I found on Smitten Kitchen for the cake, and then topped it with a Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting and Chocolate Ganache Drizzle I found on Joy the Baker's Blog. Woah, Nellie! (Or Liz, cause it was her birthday =))

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

3 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups canola oil
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
6 tablespoon red food coloring
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Set aside.

Combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt together in a bowl.

Combine oil and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time. Slowly add the food coloring followed by the vanilla. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk until all added and combined.

Combine the baking soda and vinegar and then add to the mixture. Pour into muffin cups, about 2/3 full. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
From Joy the Baker

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
4-6 cups powdered sugar
2-4 tablespoons milk

Cream the cream cheese and butter together. Add the brown sugar, salt and vanilla and mix well. Add powdered sugar, 2 cups at a time until the frosting is the consistency you desire. Add milk to create correct consistency as well. Decorate cupcakes with frosting however you wish to!

Chocolate Ganache
From Joy the Baker

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream

Heat chocolate chips carefully in a saucepan over medium heat until melted. Pour cream over chocolate and let stand for one minute before stirring to combine. Drizzle over cupcakes.

Delicious...so say the Sexy Polar Bears: