Red velvet cupcake and cream cheese frosting - 51 of 366 creative days

51/366

  For the fifty one day I have done something I have dreamed of since I have seen Buddy Valastro in "Cake Boss" show. But since I am always on diet I changed some things. Is my first time I did this so I am sorry for the melting feeling of the frosting but I did it all with a bag cut in the corner and was over 35 degrees in the room so it was soft almost all the time, even I refrigerated the cream cheese frosting from time to time.

Diet red velvet cupcake with diet cream cheese frosting

Diet red velvet cake with diet cream cheese frosting

 I got the recipe from the oprah.com site - http://www.oprah.com/food/Buddy-Valastros-Red-Velvet-Cake-with-Cream-Cheese-Frosting 

  And here is my version for half the recipe I tested, also, if you do the normal recipe, with sugar, I suggest using half of it, Americans eat way too sweet, I tell you:

 Diet Red Velvet Cake with Diet Cream Cheese Frosting
All this is enough for 12 normal cupcakes.- I was greedy and placed them in 6, half of it went overboard :D

• 1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 tablespoon Cadbury cocoa powder
• 4 Tbsp(120gr). unsalted butter , at room temperature
• 5/8 cup(15 grams) of Canderel sweetener powder (or any other powdered sweetener) - (Canderel is 10g per 100g caster sugar so should be the equivalent of 150g caster sugar)
• 1 large egg , at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp. liquid red food coloring
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk , at room temperature(replacement: 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice for 1 cup of milk, leave few minutes)
• 1 tsp. distilled white vinegar(or lemon)
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder(this is optional, the cake will be more airy if you use this)
• a pinch of salt(if the cream cheese or butter aren't salted)

  For 300 grams of cream cheese frosting, I changed the recipe for my taste, but if you do the original version, just replace the sugar with Canderel sweetener, instead of 1 1/4 cup of sugar put sweetener. I used way less cause again, the original is too sweet, I wonder how people can eat that.

• 250 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 Tbsp(90grams). unsalted butter , at room temperature
• 1/2 cup Canderel sweetener (or any other powdered sweetener)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract(or strawberry if you like it)
• Pinch of salt if the butter or cream cheese aren't salty

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (170 C). Grease the cupcakes or the pan, place parchment paper; grease.

  Sift flour, cocoa, and salt(if you use) into a bowl, also the baking powder(if you use).
  Beat butter at low speed with a mixer until creamy. Add the sugar; blend on medium speed, cleaning the sides, until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, mix well. Scrape bowl; add food coloring and vanilla. Add one third of the flour, mix, half buttermilk, mix, one third of flour again, mix, the last half of buttermilk, and the last third of flour. In small bowl, stir together lemon(vinegar) and baking soda. Stir into batter. Divide batter between cupcakes/pans; spread evenly.
  Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in 10 minutes. Remove and place on racks. Remove paper, cool completely. Freeze for 30 minutes to avoid crumbs from forming when you cut.

To make frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter with a mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add sugar, vanilla, and salt(if use). Blend on low speed for 30 seconds; beat on medium-high until fluffy. Be carefull not to do it too much cause it will ruind You should stop when it starts to gather around the paddles by itself leaving big holes behind.

To assemble in case you make a cake: Cut layers in half horizontally with a serrated knife (a butchers knife or any long knife will work as well). Place 1 layer, cut side up, on a serving plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Repeat twice. Add last layer, top side up. Ice cake thinly with 3/4 cup frosting to crumb-coat. Refrigerate 20 minutes; finish frosting.

  To assemble like in the picture: cut the paper around the cupcake in a hexagonal shape, then cut 3 layers and place them on a plate. After placing the cream cheese frosting in 3 bowls and used food coloring place them in 3 clean sandwich bags then cut the corner so it will be left a half cm hole(mine was almost 1 cm and you can see how it looks :D). The smaller is the hole the more control you have over the design but more time to do it. refrigerate when you feel the frosting becomes too soft.
  Let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour or more and then...
Enjoy!