Good Morning y'all, Filipa here! For those of you who don't know, I'm an avid baker. I'm not the best baker, but I really enjoy it - it's relaxing and fun! So, with Valentine's day around the corner, I thought it would be fun to test drive some bright red velvet cupcakes. And what are awesome Valentine's cupcakes without some fun, cutesy flags to along with them?! So with Valentine's in mind, we've made these themed flags for you to download and make. Stick them into some brownies, add them to some colourful cocktail straws, or just print one out to make a card from them - they are really versatile!
Making the actual flags is really simple. Download the PDF file here. Cut out the flags and using some sticky tape, tape them to some toothpicks. I found these really cool larger-than-normal toothpicks, but any will do. Simply run the line of tape down the straight side of the flag and then curl it around the stick and voilà - you have a cute flag! And the great thing about these is that they're so quick to make - sit your butt in front of the TV with all your materials and you'll be done in less than 20 minutes!
Red velvet is traditionally a red sponge with a cream cheese frosting, but I chose to use a ready made vanilla bean icing from Woolworths. I got this recipe for red velvet cupcakes from Martha Stewart and they were an absolute hit - they were easy to make and tasted delicious!
Red Velvet Cupcakes (Makes 24)
Ingredients
2 1/2 Cups of cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
Whole bottle of red food colouring (srsly - the small baby bottles)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice added - that's what I did)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons white vinegar (I used apple cider and it was perfect)
Anything you might want to decorate the cupcakes with
Cream Cheese Frosting or;
Woolworths vanilla bean icing
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa and salt.
3. Whisk sugar and oil together until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go along. Mix in food colour and vanilla.
4. Add flour to the mixture in three batches alternating with two additions of the buttermilk and whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar (it will foam!), and add this mixture to the batter. Mix on high for 10 seconds.
5. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three quarters full. Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating tins halfway through.
6. After your cupcakes have cooled down, spread on your chosen icing and decorate.
These little cupcakes were really fun, delicious and easy to make. Baking comes from the heart and if you're stuck for ideas with Valentine's Day for your significant other, work colleagues or friends, then this fits the bill! The flags are also great as any small addition to making your present that much more special. We would love to see how you have used your flags - email pics or tweet them to us and we'll put them up on our Facebook page!
Have a happy day everybody and we hope you enjoy crafting these fun flags!
Flags originally designed and copyrighted to Ruby and the Swallow. No replication for sale is permitted.Labels: 2012, Baking, Craft, Cup Cakes, DIY, free printable, ourwork, Red Velvet, Ruby and the Swallow Design Collective, Valentine's Day
