O N T H E TA B L E
Cupcake Crush
These velvety holiday treats are irresistible
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNE-MARIE CARUSO
CAKEAHOLIC OBSESSION’S RED VELVET CUPCAKES
Cupcake Ingredients:
F
or 20 years, Julie Johnson
worked with servers in a
Newark law firm’s IT
department. Now, she
serves up baked sweets,
having turned her avocation into a vocation, and Cakeaholic
Obsession into a thriving purveyor of
custom goodies for events and local
restaurants (for example, Montclair’s
Vital has exclusive dibs on her Rum
Obsession cake). Though her Orange
Road storefront closed its doors
earlier this year, she expects to open
a new location soon on Bloomfield
Avenue in Montclair. Her holiday gift
to us: the recipe for her obsessionworthy red velvet cupcakes.
50 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE HOLIDAY 2016
2½
1½
1
1
3
1½
¾
2
2
1
1
cups cake flour
cups sugar
teaspoon baking soda
teaspoon kosher salt
tablespoons unsweetened
cocoa powder
cups vegetable oil
cups buttermilk
eggs
tablespoons red food coloring
tablespoon apple cider vinegar
teaspoon vanilla extract
Cupcake Directions:
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 2 muffin pans with 20 cupcake
liners.
• Sift together the flour, sugar,
baking soda, salt and cocoa
powder in a medium bowl.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with a
paddle attachment, mix the vegetable
oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring,
vinegar and vanilla on medium speed
unti l incorporated – about 3 minutes.
Turn the mixer to medium-low speed
and add the dry ingredients a little bit
at a time, making sure to scrape down
the sides of the bowl if necessary.
Mix until just combined.
• Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full
and bake until a toothpick inserted in
the center comes out clean – about 20
minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely.
Frosting Ingredients:
½ lb. butter
16 ounces cream cheese
8 cups of confectionary sugar
Splash of vanilla
½ squeeze of lemon juice
Frosting Directions:
Combine butter and cream cheese
in a mixing bowl and mix on medium
speed for 5 minutes. While mixing at
low speed, add sugar. Once combined,
add a splash of vanilla extract and mix
for 3 minutes until smooth and fully
combined. Frost and enjoy.