Ruffles Not Diets

Yesterday was my birthday and being a non-milestone one at the end of a work-week right before classes start again for fall I didn't really do much, but I did make delicious cupcakes, which I think is pretty much good enough.  I invented burgundy velvet cupcakes awhile ago because I was under the misapprehension that red velvet cake is basically chocolate with red food dye (it's actually a very light chocolate) and so just added red dye to a chocolate cake mix.  No you may be wondering what the point of expending a lot (seriously, a whole lot) of red food coloring if it's just a chocolate cake.  Well: 1) Red is a flavor, it legitimately takes slightly different, richer, more mysterious, now whether this is a trick of perception or the fact that you have actually used enough red food coloring to affect the flavor.... 2) It is a fun way to mess with entertain guests.  Legend was it that the inventor of red velvet cake was trying to hide the true flavor of her cake, which I believe because southern cuisine is run on secrecy.  While no one will think burgundy velvet cake isn't chocolate nearly everyone seems to believe that isn't all it is. 3)There is no bad excuse to use cream cheese frosting, and 4) The real reason - It looks awesome.

Burgundy-Velvet Cupcakes (a heart-breakingly complicated recipie)
1 batch of chocolate cake batter from scratch or from a mix (I used King Arthur Flour gluten-free chocolate cake mix which is not only delicious, but the only gluten-free chocolate cake mix that does not taste of sawdust and disappointment.)  If from scratch use dutch-processed or even some black cocoa.
1/2-3/4 of a bottle of red food coloring, enough to turn the batter basically the color of fresh blood)

Mix.  Bake as usual.
Allow to cool completely before frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz each butter and cream cheese (softened)
2 C or more powdered sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth, add vanilla and beat
Mix in powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time until it is a frosting consistency, smooth, not too stiff or dry, but not melty-soft.  I try to add as little sugar as possible because I want to retain that cream cheese tang.  Using the whisk attachment on my mixer seems to help stiffen it up with less sugar.

Frost cupcakes once they are cooled and enjoy.  If left to sit for a bit and if you have used sufficient quantities of red food dye some of the red will bleed into the edges of the frosting.  For bonus points uses some of these spooky cupcake liners.

I made this mini-cake because the batter made more than 12 cupcakes and I only have the one muffin tin.  As you can tell I have no cake decorating skills whatsoever.



I wore mostly boring work clothes actually on my birthday and so am counting the ensemble I wore for a quick trip to Sephora.  My new "backdrop" is a super-fantastic lace curtain that my mom bought me that will decorate my closet door when not being used as a fancy stole.  The skirt
is also from my mom, but is the oldest thing (which is to say thing I have had the longest) in my wardrobe and was originally made a present/buy-off when I was put in national honor society (yes, in high school, that's how old this is).  Here is also a sneak peek of my new boots.

Because I find that outre makeup makes the people at Sephora leave me alone, and I am anti-social like that I decided to try an eye makeup tutorial that seemed fun but probably un-wearable and found it surprisingly flattering (in real life when I am not making crazy-eyes as a result of not trying to blink when the camera flashes), even despite my wobbly line drawing.  I was successfully ignored until check-out.  I am sure because they thought me just too fabulous to approach.  I get that a lot actually (I assume).