Good Red Velvet Vampire Cupcakes (A Fun Halloween Recipe!)
A festive and fun recipe for ‘Red Velvet Vampire Cupcakes,’ a perfect treat for a Halloween party. The dessert features a from-scratch, moist red velvet cupcake base. After baking, a hole is cored out of the center of each cupcake, which is then lined with a layer of melted chocolate and filled with a ‘bloody’ red raspberry jam surprise. The cupcakes are topped with a classic, tangy cream cheese frosting. The final ‘vampire bite’ effect is created by poking two small holes in the frosting and drizzling more of the red jam into them.
Ingredients
- For the Cupcakes:
- 1 3/4 cups cake flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring, plus a drop for the filling
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- One 3-ounce semisweet chocolate bar
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 cup raspberry jam
- For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In another large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, sour cream, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla, and egg.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners.
- Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack.
- Fill the Cupcakes: Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in the microwave. Use a small knife to cut a plug from the middle of each cupcake. Brush the inside of the holes with the melted chocolate and freeze for 15 minutes to harden.
- In a small bowl, whisk the raspberry jam with a drop of red food coloring and 1 tablespoon of water until smooth. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the jam into each of the chocolate-lined holes.
- Make the Frosting and Decorate: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in the butter, then the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, until light and fluffy.
- Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes to cover the jam-filled hole.
- To create the ‘vampire bites,’ use a plastic straw to poke two holes into the frosting on each cupcake.
- Drizzle the remaining red jam into the holes to resemble blood.
Notes
- Special Equipment: The recipe recommends a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and a plastic straw for decorating.
- Lining the cored-out center of the cupcakes with melted chocolate is a key step that prevents the jam filling from making the cake soggy.
- It is crucial to let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting to prevent the cream cheese frosting from melting.
- The article references a ‘Cook’s Note’ that is not provided in the text.
Find it online: https://www.eatswithsoul.com/good-red-velvet-vampire-cupcakes/