Red Velvet Cupcakes

• 24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2 –inch size)
• 1 package (18.25 ounces) plain German chocolate cake mix
• 1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream (see Note)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.
   
   
2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, food coloring, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.
   
   
3. Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

From whence it came:  My sister-in-law, Geralene, told me about a woman named The Cake Doctor.  Have you ever heard of her?  I hadn't either, but she has the coolest name ever.  I want her name.  I want to be called the cake doctor.  It's so much cooler than just being called Pam.  Anywho, The Cake Doctor takes regular old cake mixes and doctors them up.  She turns regular into really really yum-e!  Geralene made this recipe into a cake, and it was fabulous.  I've made it into a cake and into cupcakes, and both were divine!  When I made the cake I baked it in a 9"x13" pan at 325 degrees for about 50 minutes. 

Why it's blogable:  I served this cake to company and the little six year old girl who was visiting ate three pieces!  Three!  She is a little tiny girl and she ate three pieces!  And took another one home!  That just shows you how good this recipe is, and how much you need to try it!  Also, when The Spy Who Love Me saw that I was making Red Velvet Cake he kind of made a scrunched up face.  That's one way The Spy lets me know he's not thrilled.  He has other ways, but that's just one way.  Well, The Spy had to swallow his pride and beg for my forgiveness once he tasted this cake.  He was instantly sold, and you will be, too!

I frosted the cake and cupcakes with this heavenly frosting:
That's the Best Frosting I've Ever Had
I can't say enough about this frosting on top of this cake and cupcakes.  I can't say enough about this frosting.  Period!

I like to serve this cake and frosting refrigerated, but it's really good at room temp, too.

Click here to get the printables:
Red Velvet Cupcakes
That's the Best Frosting I've Ever Had

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Alan Jackson's Chocolate Cake and Frosting

Cake:
2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 cup butter ( divided)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup cocoa ( divided)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla ( divided)
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
6 tablespoons milk
1 (16 ounce) box powdered sugar

Sift flour, sugar and salt together in mixing bowl. Heat water, 1 stick butter, oil, 1/4 cup of the cocoa. Boil, stirring constantly. Pour into flour mixture and stir until smooth. Blend in buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and vinegar until smooth. Pour into a greased and floured 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Frosting:
In a sauce pan, over medium-high heat, melt remaining 1 stick of butter, add the milk and the remaining 1/4 cup cocoa and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir until smooth. Pour over the cake. Enjoy!

From whence it came:  I searched the Internet this past weekend for a new chocolate cake recipe and this one popped out at me, so I just had to try it.  I am a lover of country music!  Those country music folks really do know how to cook.  Tim McGraw (who I love more than chocolate chip cookies) is famous for his Chicken and Dumplings.  Trisha Yearwood has her own cookbook!  And Alan Jackson has this yum-e chocolate cake!

Why it's blogable:  This cake is a lighter chocolate cake than this cake, but it is still really good.  The frosting is almost exactly like this frosting.  It hardens up like fudge and has a great flavor.  It was really easy to make and everybody licked their lips...and their plates...when they were done!

Breaking news:  I'm so happy!  A few days after I made this cake my teen daughter told me that she really likes it and that it has replaced that ridiculous Funfetti Cake as her favorite cake.  I'm giddy!   Positively giddy!

Click here to get the printable:
Alan Jackson's Chocolate Cake and Frosting

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Karen's Chocolate Frosting

In saucepan melt 1/2 c. butter.  Add 4 T. cocoa and 5 T. milk to melted butter and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and pour over one box of powdered sugar.  Add 1 t. vanilla and chopped nuts if desired.  Beat with mixer until smooth.  Pour immediately over cooled cake.

From whence it came:  Karen!  Oh how I love this lady.  Karen Perkins is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world!  She was like a second mom to me when I was growing up.  I am truly blessed to have a wonderful mom, and doubly blessed to have a wonderful second mom.  Karen had such a profound impact on my life.  I am a better person for knowing her.  I love you, Karen Perkins!  You are a hero to me!

Why it's blogable:  This frosting is more like fudge.  It's like having a piece of fudge on top of your cake.  Cake and fudge in the same bite?  Now that's what I call heaven!  It's so easy to make and everyone just loves it!  I made it tonight and poured it over this chocolate cake.  And then I took it to a church dinner.  And I didn't bring a single piece home because it was all gone.  Because it's so good!

Here's a cake tip for y'all:  My friend, Janice, taught me that if you bake a box cake for one hour at 300 degrees it will turn out amazing every time.  Let me tell ya, Janice is right!  Just mix up a box cake mix and pour it into a 9x13 pan, bake for an hour at 300 and you will have yourself one yum-e cake.  Don't worry, it won't be dry.  It will be oh so good!  Then all you have to do is make this frosting and pour it on top and stand still while everyone kisses your feet for making such a fabulous cake!  (Be sure and get a pedicure, first!)

Here's the printable:
Karen's Chocolate Frosting

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

That's the Best Frosting I've Ever Had

Ingredients

* 1 cup Milk
* 5 Tablespoons Flour
* 1 teaspoon Vanilla
* 1 cup Butter
* 1 cup Granulated Sugar (not Powdered Sugar!)

Preparation Instructions

Bake your favorite chocolate cake and let it cool.

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (If I’m in a hurry, I place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.) Stir in vanilla.

While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then add the cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat until it all combines and resembles whipped cream.

From whence it came: I found this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen web site. It sounded so weird...flour in frosting...that I almost didn't try it, but the name of the recipe grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. I just had to take it for a test drive!

Why it's blogable: Because it took every ounce of strength I had not to sit down with the bowl and a spoon and eat the entire batch! It is really good! Very light, like whipping cream, and yet very buttery. It really is so so good! I put it on red velvet cupcakes. The hubby and teenage son both gave it two thumbs up! Once the cupcakes were frosted I put them in the fridge. I think this frosting requires refrigeration. You've just gotta try it!

As a side note: I'm making a cookies and cream wedding sheet cake in April and I think I'll use this for the filling, mixed with Oreos. I'll let you know how it turns out. I'll have to make a practice one before the wedding. You NEVER experiment with a wedding cake. That's just way to risky.  

P.S.  I chickened out and just didn't use this recipe for the Cookies and Cream Cake, but I still have big plans of giving it a try.  It's on my bucket list! 

Click here to get the printable:
That's the Best Frosting I've Ever Had

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!