red (wine) velvet cupcakes

I have a few life mottos that I attempt to practice on a daily basis. They mostly involve cocktails and yoga breaths and laughing and sharing cookies as often as I possibly can. But sometimes life-y things happen that are less then ideal and I turn to my most important lesson of all, “when in doubt, bake it out!”

It is a way of life that basically works for everything. Did you get caught in the rain without an umbrella wearing suede? Make some cookies and forget about it! Did you forget to pay your rent on time? Whip up a bundt and drop it off with the check. No more late fees for you!

Or maybe did life get bonkers and you haven’t had time to blog in the past few weeks? Gah! That’s a big one! Looks like it is time to bring in the big guns (read: the boozy cupcake).

Please accept this recipe as a token of my gratitude (after all, there is cream cheese frosting involved) for sticking around these parts while the summer schedule goes into effect here at BMUB headquarters. I am not going anywhere – just working on lots of exciting projects behind-the-scenes (stay tuned!) and consuming as many Otter Pops as I am physically allowed in an attempt to combat the humidity of New York City.

Make these cupcakes! They are naturally red and white and perfect for the Fourth of July! Did I mention they have wine inside? Exclamation marks!

Happy Day-of-the-Hot-Dog to you and I hope y’all have a wonderful holiday. When in doubt, “boozy” bake it out!

Also, more red wine + chocolate from the archives.

Red (Wine) Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes

Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

For the cupcakes:
2 cups + 1 tablespoon (260 grams) flour
1 cup (100 grams) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 sticks (170 grams or 12 tablespoons) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (355 ml) red wine
2 teaspoons vanilla

For the frosting:
three 8-ounce boxes (24 ounces or roughly 675 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 sticks (170 grams or 12 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
one vanilla bean, seeds scraped
3 1/2 cups (350 grams) powdered sugar, plus more if needed

Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. In a large bowl beat butter and both sugars together until smooth. Add eggs and beat to combine, then add red wine and vanilla and beat until smooth. It will look weird but don’t fret, it will bake up into delicious. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the dry ingredients in several additions, being careful not to over mix. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners. (Each one should be about 3/4 full.)

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool for five minutes or so in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting: In a large bowl beat together the cream cheese, butter, salt, vanilla, and vanilla bean seeds until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar, half a cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. When all the sugar has been added, beat for a minute on medium-high speed to make sure the frosting is smooth and spreadable.

Assemble the cupcakes: Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a wide tip and give each cupcake a swirly frosting hat and a sprinkle garnish.