Red Velvet Cupcakes

Name: Red Velvet Cupcakes
Yield: makes 24
Ingredients: 1/2 cup rice milk; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 3 1/4 cups whole spelt flour; 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 2 teaspoon salt; 2/3 cup coconut oil; 1 1/4 cups agave nectar; 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract; 5 tablespoons natural red food coloring, or as needed to achieve your preferred depth of color; Vanilla frosting (page 91)

December 9, 2011

Ask someone what, exactly, red velvet is, and chances are they’ll stare back at you blankly. Nonetheless, red velvet remains the top-selling cupcake in America (“America” means BabyCakes NYC, of course). As I’ve come to understand it, the name dates to the time when people carried books with a belt and wore bonnets, and cocoa powder was still all natural and reacted with the acid in buttermilk and baking soda by turning it a reddish brown, an effect some precolonial marketing genius dubbed red velvet. You might be sad to hear that, historically, red velvet cake was appreciated primarily for its neutral (you can say it: bland) flavor and supple texture, which served primarily as a vehicle for frosting. While I obviously have nothing against frosting, I believe the cake should be more than a booster seat, so I’ve gone ahead and fixed that little problem for you. Thank me by baking these by the thousands.

Recipe notes

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Fully loaded, meal-prep friendly, and ready to be dressed up, down, or sideways.