Scarlet O'Hara Cupcakes by Lucy Burdette

Red Velvet Cupcake

SCARLET O’HARA CUPCAKES


Ever since I finished Elinor Lipman's latest novel, THE VIEW FROM PENTHOUSE B, I've had the urge to bake Scarlet O'Hara cupcakes, as one of her characters did. 


But what exactly is a Scarlet O'Hara cupcake? 


 

I Googled of course, and came up with this amazing Scarlet O'Hara cake. I wouldn't have the patience...

So then I turned to my Facebook pals who made a lot of suggestions. Most everyone recommended red velvet as the base, except for the one vote for sweet potato. The icing was trickier--how to show Scarlet's sass? Ginger? Peach? Chocolate ganache? Lemon? Cinnamon? Jalapeño???

I settled on red velvet with a raspberry cream cheese frosting. I don't know how authentic they were, but they tasted amazing!

LUCY'S SCARLET O'HARA CUPCAKES

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons red food coloring (one 1-ounce bottle)
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

FROSTING

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
about 40 raspberries


Directions for the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put 20-22 cupcake liners in two cupcake pans.Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.
Add the vinegar to the milk in a glass measuring cup and let this sit ten minutes or so. Whisk milk, vanilla and eggs in large measuring cup.

Mix cocoa with food coloring in small bowl until smooth paste forms.

In another bowl, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as necessary. Add one-third of flour mixture and beat on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add half of milk mixture and beat on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Repeat with half of remaining flour mixture, remaining milk mixture, and finally remaining flour mixture. Add cocoa mixture and beat on medium speed until completely incorporated, about 30 seconds.

Distribute the batter into the cupcake pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 18-22 minutes. Cool the pans ten minutes, then finish cooling the cupcakes on a wire rack. (The trick here is not to over beat or over cook, or cupcakes will turn out tough and dry.)For the frosting: Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Beat in the sugar and then vanilla. Set aside the 20 best raspberries, beat the remainder into the frosting. 






Frost the cupcakes and decorate with a raspberry. Refrigerate if you aren’t eating them right away.


 




You will find this recipe in the fifth food critic mystery, the one after MURDER WITH GANACHE, which will be out in February--though you can pre-order it now!

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