Happy 4th of July to all!  Earlier this week, I was trying to come up with a dessert to bring to a friend’s evening party for tonight.  If you recall, earlier this week, I made a Red, White and Blue Vanilla Wafer Ice Box Cake.  It was really yummy, but I wanted something I could make that would be easier to serve to a larger crowd.  I decided I would make Red Velvet Cupcakes to be festive.  I just tried one, and they are so good!

I started with Ina Garten’s Red Velvet cupcake recipe, with changing only a couple things.  I added a bit more vanilla extract (I used 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla) and I added a little more kosher salt (I added 1-1/2 teaspoons versus, 1 teaspoon).  For no other reason than I like a little extra salt in my baked goods and I really love vanilla.

For my frosting, I whipped up 1-1/2 cups of heavy cream with 3/4 cup of sugar, 4 ounces of mascarpone and 2 teaspoons of vanilla until stiff peaks were formed.  I frosted the cupcakes and sprinkled them with red and blue sugar for a 4th of July festive look.

Happy 4th of July to all.  Remember to be safe out there today!

Until next time, Kris