4TH OF JULY + RED VELVET CUPCAKES + GIVING BACK TO SHARE OUR STRENGTH

 

cupcake-red_-4thLast year, on the 4th of July, we decided to have a bake sale.  I am trying to teach my kids how fortunate they are and the organization Share our Strength is helping us achieve that.  SOS has a goal to end childhood hunger in America by 2015.  One in four kids in America go hungry each day. Shocking, isn’t it? I, along with my kids, and a whole group of food bloggers are attempting to help SOS reach their goal.  If I can do my part, even if it is just a small contribution, I feel good knowing that the effort is there.

 

When I mentioned to my kids and a few of their friends that I was “thinking” of doing a “2nd annual bake sale” on the 4th, I immediately got a lot of volunteers.  On the Saturday prior, Jamie, Gracie, and Jesse showed up on my doorstep, unannounced.  Aprons in hand they got to work. We made the red, white, and blue butter cookies, peanut butter cookie cups, sugar cookie bars, rocky road tarts, cranberry-pomegranate cocktail, and red velvet cupcakes.

The red velvet cupcakes were initially for Isaac’s homecoming from camp. With the bake sale on the horizon, I doubled the recipe.  As mentioned in my last post, the first batch didn’t come out.  I made the Magnolia Bakery recipe using red gel.  Yuck! Bitter, horrible, bitter.  The second batch I modified the recipe from the SoNo Baking Company Cookbook.  I experimented with beet root powder and the taste was delicious, light, and airy!

Our bake sale was a huge success.  Our community came together to support the SOS community. I could not have done all that I had without the help of some of my favorite girls. Sharing my kitchen with them was pure joy.  Having them around forced me to get the job done.  Had they not been there, I would have opted to nap, thus procrastinate.  My kitchen is door is always open to them!!

 

Red Velvet Cupcakes
adapted from The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook
yield: 22 cupcakes

ingredients:
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. coarse salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup beet root powder
2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
my cream cheese frosting

instructions:
• preheat oven to 350*. line 22 muffin tins with paper liners. set aside
• combine the buttermilk and vanilla and set aside.
• in the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle, cream the butter, sugar, and salt until light and creamy.
• add the eggs, one at a time.
• in a small bowl, whisk the beet root powder, cocoa, and flour.
• starting with the flour, alternate adding the flour with the buttermilk mixture in three batches, ending with the flour. let stand for 15 minutes.
• mix the baking soda and white wine vinegar, let foam. fold into the batter and divide amongst the muffin tins.
• bake 20-24 minutes, rotating pans half way through. cool completely.
• frost, eat, and enjoy!

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