Red Velvet Wedding Cake Cupcakes

Yesterday after posting about Crockpot Orange Chicken, if you remember, my sister and brother-in-law went to a Spurs game. Well, while they were at the game, the hubby and I decided to make it a date night. We walked along the Riverwalk, which is absolutely beautiful at night, and have a really nice dinner. We chose to stop at this place called the Rivers Edge after looking around at a few places. We out on the patio right at the edge of the Riverwalk. I was very excited, because I chose to do their three course meal with salad with avocado ranch sauce, lobster ravioli and a chocolate mousse cake for dessert. The hubby decided to get a dish called Pablano Pabill (chicken wrapped in banana leaf served with carrots, green beans, rice and plantains). Everything was so beautiful and so delicious. It was a wonderfully romantic dinner!

Today, we decided to get brunch with my sister and brother-in-law before heading back to College Station. We decided to go to a brunch place that was ranked really highly on Yelp and had rave reviews- a place called Magnolia Pancake Haus. It was featured on Food Network's Drive-ins, Diners and Dives. We drove there (though I may have put in the wrong address at first which took us to the completely wrong part of town, and by may--I did). When we got there, the wait was 60-75 minutes. That seems redunkulous right? Well by the time we got seated the wait was up to 90 minutes!

Sorry! It is a bit blurry. But I thought it looked cute!

All I kept thinking was this place better be over the moon fantastic. My sister and I always share dishes. We decided to get the crab cakes eggs Benedict and the jambalaya omelette. One came with a side of chocolate chip pancakes and the other a biscuit with sausage gravy. It was DELICIOUS but here is my little soap box statement- if a place--any restaurant no matter how great-- makes you wait more than an hour to eat-- it is hard to live up to that expectation! Right?!

I made these cupcakes for Ninja's Birthday Party for the "humans" ;) Since there were pupcakes for the fur-babies, I also wanted cupcakes for their owners (i.e., the humans). Well, ever since I made the Wedding Cake Cupcakes and loved it- I have been thinking of making these cupcakes with different types of cake. Two of my ideas included making a Red Velvet version and a Chocolate version (to come...). So, I decided to make the Red Velvet for Ninja's Birthday Party because a few of my dog park friends told me they preferred Red Velvet over the Chocolate. They came out FANTASTIC. Justin and Luke, who also came to Ninja's Birthday Party said it was the best baked good I have ever made. And my dog park friends ate it up-- they have not tried my baked goods before (this was the first time I brought anything I made to the dog park)-- so that was a good sign. I did not get to try it because I brought them all to the dog park and when I left- they were all done! YAY!

RED VELVET WEDDING CAKE CUPCAKES

Cupcakes and Frosting adapted from the Recipe Girl

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 325F Degrees

FOR THE CUPCAKES
1 box Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake mix
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. sugar
1 1/3 c. water
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. sour cream
4 large eggs

FOR THE FROSTING
2 (8oz) package of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 stick of butter, room temperature
2-4 c. of powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

For the Cupcakes:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whisk together cake mix, flour, and sugar. Then add in water, vegetable oil and vanilla extract, mixing ingredients until creamy. Add in sour cream, stirring until incorporated and finally adding in eggs, again mixing until incorporated. Line cupcake pan with liners. Using an ice cream scoop fill liners 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18 minutes until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

For Frosting:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, combine cream cheese,butter, 1 c. of powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed and then medium-high speed for 6-8 minutes until creamy, light, and fluffy. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1/2 c. at a time-- beating for 1 minute after each addition. Continue adding in ingredients until desired consistency and sweetness is reached (i.e, you may not use all 3 c. of powdered sugar, if you want more sweetness but need a softer consistency add some heavy cream). The frosting should be stiff enough to hold shape once piped.

Enjoy,
Chika