The Red Cake of Courage

Red velvet cake (or cupcakes, as the case may be) seems to be one of those odd culinary devices that holds a strange fascination for a lot of people, be they chefs or cupcake enthusiasts. I had never heard of them until the last year or two, and I must admit, I was curious as well. It's relatively unusual to have such vivid colors in one's baked goods, and although I've never really been as fond of cupcakes as I am of some other desserts, they certainly are one dessert that's easy to share.

The approach of Valentine's day seems to trigger some primeval drive in food bloggers to post their versions of this recipe, and while I haven't monitored things this year to see if this trend continues, I figure I may as well do my share. Cliche or not, I'm planning to make these again this weekend to share with a friend of mine who suffers from Celiac's, which obviously complicates baked goods. In order to ensure that she's properly impressed, I decided to do a test run of the recipe to sample on some unsuspecting coworkers; that way, I could make any necessary adjustments well ahead of time and be properly impressive when the time came. This plan, as it turns out, was unnecessary: the damn things turned out perfect as far as I'm concerned, and thankfully is all set to go again this weekend. Let's hope they're the success that they should be!

Red Velvet Cupcakes
(Recipe stolen and modified from Paula Deen)

Ingredients
Cupcakes
2.5c Gluten-free flour blend*
2tbsp Unsweetened cocoa powder
1tsp Baking soda
1tsp Salt
1tsp Xantham gum
1.5c Sugar
1.5c Vegetable/Canola oil
2 Eggs
1c Buttermilk
2tbsp (1oz) Red food coloring
1tsp White vinegar
1tsp Vanilla extract

*Since this recipe was largely stolen from a non-gluten-free version, standard AP flour will work just as well in a straight-up substitution.

Frosting
2.5c Powdered sugar
16oz Cream cheese
1/2c (1 stick) Unsalted butter
1tsp Vanilla extract
1/2tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 350F

Procedure

Note: The area in which I tended to deviate from Paula's recipe is mostly in the manner/order in which the ingredients were mixed. These steps (or the inspiration for them) were borrowed from various other sources, which I unfortunately forgot to make a note of.

Mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and xantham gum in a medium mixing bowl with a fork--note that since you're attempting to aerate the mixture somewhat, there is no such thing as too much mixing at this point. After the ingredients are properly blended, set the dry mixture aside. Add the oil and sugar to a second mixing bowl (ideally the one attached to a stand mixer) and start mixing at medium speed. Continue mixing until the ingredients appear to have made a gooey paste.

Mixing the sugar and oil together for a few minutes allows them to form a weak emulsification; the eggs we add next will help maintain it.

While the mixer is going, pour the buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla in a cup or small bowl. Mix the contents briefly with a fork to ensure that the coloring is distributed thoroughly. Returning to the mixer, add the eggs to the sugar paste, one at a time, ensuring that the first has completely vanished before adding the second. As mentioned in the caption above, the eggs will help ensure that the sugar and oil remain mixed properly by preventing them from separating into their individual components. To finalize this process, add 1/4 of the dry ingredients with the mixer on low speed (adding it on medium will result in a large cloud of powder coating you and your kitchen). I say this finalizes the process because the oil/sugar substance will be bound to the dry mixture, preventing the aforementioned separation; we only add 1/4 of the mix because there isn't enough liquid in the bowl to properly coat the entire batch of dry ingredients. Consequently, you now add 1/3 of the wet mixture. Continue in the same manner, alternating wet and dry (with the 1/4 and 1/3 ratio, you should start and finish with dry additions) until both mixtures have been incorporated in the bowl. At this point, the red color is ... evident.

I recommend tasting the mix to see if anything seems off. My gluten-free flour blend lends a peculiar taste to baked goods pre-baking, but my batter was still rather tasty.

Note: I suppose now is a good time to mention that if you're making this using standard AP flour, do not overmix! Lumps are OK, but overmixing will lead to activating the gluten in the flour, which will result in chewy cupcakes. Of course, since I was working gluten-free, I didn't worry about this!

Line a muffin tin (12 spots preferred!) with cupcake liners and fill each container about 2/3 to 3/4 full of the batter (I find that an ice cream scoop works well for this) and bake at 350F for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. At this point, your cupcakes should look edible, yet adorable.

I was rather proud that I didn't slop much all over the pan. You must be duly impressed.

Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes until they can be removed to a wire cooling rack (or a countertop; I'm not picky). This recipe makes somewhere between 20 and 24 cupcakes, depending on how ambitious you are with your batter scoops. While they're cooling, cream the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar together in a bowl (ideally the same bowl used for the cupcake batter--after cleaning it, of course). If you're using an electric mixer, I strongly recommend that you start on low speed for the first few minutes. After the sugar has been completely incorporated, speed things up to medium-high until the consistency seems right (spreadable, but not too airy). At this point, sample the frosting to see if it's up to your standards; you can add up to 1.5c of additional powdered sugar if desired, but I find that this tends to kill the kick from the cream cheese. Frost the cupcakes generously and gorge as desired!

Lessons Learned
As I mentioned early on, the transformation from glutenized to gluten-free for this recipe was quite seamless; quite frankly, I was pleasantly shocked. My gluten-free experiments have mostly been great so far, but I was worried this one would require a few iterations. Here's hoping the gluten-free friend they were designed for is as impressed as I was!

Further Frozen Failure

Despite what you might infer from the title of this post, I don't necessarily consider this attempt a failure--I simply enjoy alliteration. Nonetheless, it is most certainly not a successful attempt either, except in the sense that it gives me more ammunition with which to go back next time and try to build upon my previous attempts. Which, of course, is the whole point of my documenting these instances, so I suppose it was a total success; just not quite what I had hoped for.

Allow me to explain. As I mentioned in my previous frozen project, I have not had great success with my relatively new ice cream maker attachment for The KitchenAid. The KitchenAid itself is, of course, fantastic, and has become a staple of most anything I produce, allowing me to remain my lazy self while still enjoying the fruits of much labor. However, all of my attempts at ice cream thus far (particularly those based on corn starch, i.e., the ones that are practical to make, as I don't keep a dozen egg yolks lying around most of the time) have resulted in delicious chunks of very solid ice that resist the infiltration of a spoon with impressive tenacity. My repeated experiments have given me some insight into this phenomenon, but I am still undecided as to whether I should blame my freezer or my ice cream making technique; consequently, I must continue attempting until I find something that works right.

This attempt was no different, as I took an existing recipe (stolen this time from The Kitchn) and tweaked it to help compensate for my previous experiences. This tweaking, as you'll see, did indeed help, but not as much as I would have hoped.

Lemon Ice Cream
(As stolen from the folks at The Kitchen)

Ingredients
1.5oz Cream cheese
3 1/4c Half and half
1tbsp Corn starch
1/3c Sugar
1/4c Brown sugar
1.5tbsp Corn syrup
1/4tsp Salt
1/2tsp Vanilla extract
1tbsp Vodka
1 Lemon

Procedure
1) Place the cream cheese in the mixer bowl and process until it is softened and resembles something like cake icing.

This softening helps produce a smoother cream later on.

2) In a bowl or cup, mix 2tbsp of the half and half with the corn starch. Ensure that no clumps of starch remain undissolved and set aside.

3) Place the remaining half and half in a skillet or saucepan and set over medium heat. Mix in the sugars and corn syrup and bring to a boil. Simmer just until the sugar and syrup are completely dissolved; this shouldn't take more than a minute or so.

Stirring gently will prevent a skin from forming on the top; not necessary, but I prefer to do so.

4) Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the corn starch mixture. Return it to the heat and bring back up to a boil, stirring continously to prevent boiling over. Boil for about a minute and then turn off the heat.

5) Pour the hot mixture into the bowl with the whipped cream cheese and stir with a spatula to ensure that the cream cheese is scraped off the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the salt, vodka, and zest from the lemon and set the entire mixture in the refrigerator to chill for at least 8 hours.

Note: Placing a cover of plastic wrap pressed against the top of the mixture will prevent a skin from forming on the top.

6) When the mixture has chilled, add the vanilla and the juice from the lemon to the mixture and stir thoroughly. Pour into your ice cream maker (making sure to start the churner first!) and proceed with whatever the maker's instructions say.

From this image, I don't think I let it churn long enough; that may be specific to my mixer.

7) When the process is finished, scoop the ice cream into a sealable container and place in the freezer to cure for at least 4 hours.

This picture is deceptive; the surface is actually very stiff. Oddly enough, it has a similar texture to that of over-solidified ice cream. Imagine that.

Lessons Learned
I added the vodka to the recipe in hopes of keeping it softer, as the alcohol would inhibit the freezing process. This did work, in that compared to my previous attempts, it was slightly more pliable when I took a chisel and hammer to it. That said, it wasn't enough; next time I think I'll bump up the mixer speed (to incorporate more air) and add an additional tablespoon of vodka to see if the combination helps. However, I'll probably try a different recipe, as I actually wasn't blown away by this one. The lemon zest came out far too stringy (as it is wont to do) and gets stuck in my teeth. I think lemon ice cream works best as a side to a different dessert, which makes sense, as the Kitchn folks were having it alongside wedding cake. Having the ice cream straight up seems to lack balance; it needs something sweet to even it out.

Custard Crackup

My affinity for cheescake may not be well-documented, but rest assured, I consider it one of the greatest sweet creations since the development of pie. For those of you who are pointing out that a cheesecake is basically a cream pie made with cheese, you're absolutely correct; does that make me wrong? Pie is the single greatest thing in the universe; it is to food what Chuck Norris is to an average human. Pie has the capacity to end wars, right wrongs, and leap tall buildings with a single bound, all while still being delicious in every single form (with the possible exception of pumpkin, but I'm willing to let that one slide).

But I'm not here to talk about pie. Well, not entirely (just watch for future entries!); instead, I'll continue with the pie that is cheesecake. It should be pointed out that I do not own a springform pan. I hate the things; they're messy, they leak, and they serve only a single purpose (delightful though that purpose may be). As such, all my cheesecake creations thus far have resided in a single 9x9" square pan. Is it the best vessel to bake and display the greatness that is the cake (or pie!) of cheese? Most certainly not. Does it get the job done? So far, yes.

With that out of the way, my last adventure with cheesecake (which went sadly undocumented) led me to discover that some recipes call for cheeses *other* than cream cheese. As this had never occurred to me before, I had to investigate further, and, of course, test out these recipes for myself. I've never been a big fan of ricotta cheese; to me, it tends to be bland, lifeless, and I really don't like the texture, as it's not what I expect when I think "cheese". As such, it was a perfect candidate for my cheesecake experiment. And so, after some lengthy research, I settled on stealing a recipe from FoodTV's resident female Italian food expert, Giada. It should be noted that I took some liberties with the actual ingredients, but I stayed more or less true to the recipe itself.

Ricotta Cheesecake
(heisted from Giada de Laurentiis)

Ingredients
Crust
2c Rolled oats (ground coarsely in processor or blender)
1c Brown sugar
1c Butter (melted)

Custard
6tbsp Butter, melted
16oz Ricotta
16oz Cream cheese
3/4c Sugar
1/4c Honey
1tbsp Lemon zest
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350F

Procedure
1) In a large bowl, mix the ground oats and the brown sugar thoroughly. Add the butter and mix until it comes together.

2) Press the crust into the bottom of a greased 9x9" pan and bake at 350F for 15 minutes.

3) Remove and set aside to cool. Be sure to cool the crust for at least 10-15 minutes before adding the cheesecake mixture!

I used oats because I ran out of graham crackers.

4) In a mixer bowl, mix the ricotta on its own until it is reasonably creamy. Add the cream cheese and mix thoroughly.

I wasn't sure what "creamy" looked like for ricotta, so I didn't worry about it overmuch.

5) After the cheeses have mixed a bit, slowly add the sugar, honey, and lemon zest.

I almost forgot the eggs at this point, as it was so creamy already!

6) Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until thoroughly blended.

7) Pour the mixture onto the prepared crust and bake at 350F for about an hour. Start checking it at around the 45 minute mark, as some ovens will vary. It's ready to come out when the center jiggles slightly and still resembles a liquid, but the outside is firm.

8) Allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature on the counter, then refrigerate for at *least* 4 hours. Overnight works better.

Lessons Learned
As seen in the first image of this post, this recipe taught me the value of adding that pan of water that most cheesecake recipes call for during baking. I didn't mind the cracked-ness of the end product, and it still tasted good. That said, I don't care much for the honey flavor of it; I prefer a pure cheesecake flavor. Overall, I really didn't notice much difference using ricotta instead of all cream cheese, so I probably won't bother doing it again, as cream cheese is far cheaper than ricotta these days.