More Cupcakes for Fourth of July: Domino Sugar's Red Velvet Cupcakes

I love Red Velvet Cake, and it's the perfect treat to celebrate Fourth of July. Here's the most recent post from Domino Sugar for Red Velvet Cupcakes.  On my Red, White, and Blue, and Chocolate Cupcake post a few days ago, I gave a chocolate cupcake recipes and a few cupcake decorating tips for the Fourth of July. Be sure and check it out.

RED VELVET CUPCAKES

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder (not dark cocoa)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup  butter, softened (2 sticks)
2 cups Domino® Granulated Sugar
5 eggs at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons red food coloring (or use Wilton's natural food dyes)

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:
3/4 cup butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
2 (8 oz) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
2 (1 lb) pkgs. Domino® Confectioners Sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.  
Line 36 muffin cups with paper baking cups.  
Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. 
Beat butter and sugar in large mixing bowl at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl with each addition.
On low speed, add sour cream, milk, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring.
Slowly add in flour mixture, and blend until just combined. DO NOT OVER MIX. 
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when touched.
Remove from oven and cool completely in pan.
Prepare frosting.

For frosting, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add in confectioners’ sugar, and beat until smooth and creamy. Slowly add in vanilla, and continue beating for 1 minute.

To create Red and Blue Stars, take two 3/4 cup portions of the frosting and place in two separate bowls. Add blue and red food coloring to dye each portion of frosting. Place into two zipper-style plastic bags, one for each color, and cut a small hole in one corner of each bag. Carefully squeeze out frosting in a star design on cupcake.

Want other recipes for Red Velvet Cake?

Here's a link to Marge's Red Velvet Cake.
And, a link to Red Velvet Cake, the natural Way. Chocolate Beet Cake.

Have a Red, White, & Blue, and Chocolate Fourth of July!

Photo: Domino Sugar

National Chocolate Wafer Day: Famous Chocolate Refrigerator Roll

Today is National Chocolate Wafer Day! I love chocolate wafers, and I usually have a few boxes in the pantry-- 1) because they're not always easy to find and 2) I make my cheesecake chocolate crusts with them.

Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers, the most famous for sure, are thin and round, crisp and dark. I did a little digging into the history of these Wafers (not called cookies). According to a Washington Post article (and I can't find the reference/mea culpa!) in the Nabisco's archives there is a 1929 ad for the chocolate wafers. The copy in the ad suggests layering the wafers with whipped cream and refrigerating them overnight for an easy, elegant dessert.  By 1930, the recipe for Famous Chocolate Refrigerator Roll was printed on each tin of the chocolate wafers. Don't you wish the Famous Chocolate Wafers still came in a tin? How cool is that? Found a tin on Tias (without wafers) and one on eBay, but can't decide if I want to spring for it. Note that the original tin had 10 ounces. Now there are only 9 ounces.

Famous Chocolate Refrigerator Roll aka Icebox Cake!
Recipe from Nabisco

Don't be afraid to experiment with flavor in the Whipped Cream such as Kahlua or Chocolate Liqueur or add just a bit of sugar when you're whipping the cream. Here's the "original" recipe. The whipping cream actually softens the wafers, so this is absolutely delicious, and, as always, easy!

Ingredients:
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pt. (2 cups) whipping cream, whipped
1 pkg. (9 oz.) FAMOUS Chocolate Wafers

Preparation:
ADD vanilla to whipped cream; stir gently until well blended.
SPREAD 1-1/2 tsp. of the whipped cream mixture onto each wafer. Stack wafers together, then stand on edge on serving platter to make a log.
Frost with the remaining whipped cream mixture. 
REFRIGERATE at least 4 hours or overnight. Cut dessert diagonally into 14 slices to serve.
Store leftover dessert in refrigerator.

I like to add chocolate curls or grated chocolate to the top. On the Fourth of July, I add raspberries and blueberries!

Photo: Refrigerator (Icebox) Cake from Nabisco website and reproduced on the Box
Tin on Tias

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar

Oatmeal and Chocolate are both excellent foods to lower your cholesterol and keep your heart healthy. O.K., so there's a lot of sugar and butter in this recipe, and that's not all that healthy, but I'm making cookies, and they taste better with sugar and butter. :-)

I posted a recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies on National Oatmeal Cookie Day. That's a great recipe, but this recipe continues my "Cookies in a Jar" series. It's simple and easy and makes a great gift. Not into gifting this mix? Just make the cookies!

I usually use either dark Guittard or dark Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips in this recipe, but use whatever you have or like.

As I've mentioned in other Cookies in a Jar mixes, be sure and tamp down each layer of ingredients as you fill the jar. Wipe excess off the insides with a dry paper towel after each addition. When my Jar is finished, I add a piece of burlap and tie with raffia. I usually place a label directly on the jar, but you can make a tag and attach with the raffia or with ribbon.

Note: If you're worried about people with nut allergies, put the walnuts in a plastic bag, cut excess off bag and tie tightly. Attach to the jar with raffia or ribbon. Add a note about the nuts on your instructions.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Mix in a Jar

3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats (I use Quaker Oats)
1 1/2  cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Use a 1 quart jar, layering ingredients in the order given. You can mix the baking powder, flour and salt together and make that a layer. Pack down after each addition. Put lid on, and cover with a circle of burlap and tie with raffia.

Attach the following instructions:

Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a medium bowl, cream together 3/4 cup softened butter, 2 eggs, and 1 tsp vanilla.
Add the entire contents of the jar.
Mix by hand until combined.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto unprepared cookie sheet.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven.

Makes 2 dozen.

Love this Vintage Oatmeal Ad. Husky? Only if you add lots of sugar, milk, and butter!

Patriotic Cupcakes: Red White & Blue & Chocolate Cupcakes

Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. Last year for Independence Day I posted a Red Velvet Cupcake recipe with Cream Cheese Icing. You might also want to do Strawberries dipped in White Chocolate.

Here's a Chocolate Cupcake Recipe that is simple and 'patriotic' from Hershey!

Red, White & Blue & Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa (I use the dark)*
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
 2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING (recipe follows)
* Fresh blueberries and strawberries

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.
3. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.
3. Frost with VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING. Definitely put on more frosting than in the Hershey photo. Garnish with blueberries and strawberries.

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
Beat 5 tablespoons softened butter until creamy in medium bowl. Gradually add 4 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, beating until of spreading consistency. About 2 cups frosting.

This recipe makes about 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes.

Other Creative Patriotic Cupcake Decorations:

1. Make a 5 pointed star with strawberries: Ice the cupcake with  buttercream frosting. Slice strawberries. Put five slices on an angle to form a five pointed star on each cupcake. Put wide part in center with points out. Fill center of stars with 3-4 blueberries.

2. Instead of fruit, dip the iced cupcakes in a bowl of mixed red, white, and blue sprinkles!

3. Add red and blue coloring to part of the icing and arrange cupcakes on a platter as a flag!.. I would still add sprinkles.

4. Use patriotic cupcake stencils you can buy-- or make your own.

5. Use Patriotic baking cups for your cupcakes!

6. Use Wilton's coloring gel to make the cupcakes blue or red. They may not come out perfectly the first time. It's trial and error to get the color right, especially if you're using cocoa. If you do this, you might want to use the regular cocoa.


What Chocolate Dessert are you making for the Fourth of July?

Photo: Hershey's Recipes