Red Velvet Cupcakes – for a 6th birthday

My Taylor turned six last week during our trip to NY, so she was able to celebrate in Maryland with her relatives on the trip up here.  Then she also celebrated with her cousins, grandma, aunts and uncles up here in NY on her actual birthday. When you have lots of little mouths to feed cake, cupcakes are a great option – IMHO. I have a cute little cupcake stand that I bought at a garage sale (for a dollar) a few weeks ago, that I am in love with. The top can switch out based on the holiday or occasion. I didn’t bring it on the trip, but I thought it was a good time to put the picture up on the blog. Many grocery and craft stores sell these cupcake stands and they usually aren’t too expensive.

Sorry, I know it’s probably a bit hard to focus on the stand with the runner in the background, but you get the picture, right?

My friend, Stacy posted this article on Facebook a few weeks ago and it really hit home with me. Everything is sooo true here but the birthday party section really makes me think. I remember my own parties when I was little. My good friends or relatives would all come to my house and we would have cake that either my mom or grandmother would make. My mom had a game that I LOVED where she would hide candy around the house and we would all walk around the house and find candy to put in our bag. If those memories are good enough for us, why aren’t they good enough for our kids these days? Read this article, I love it.

http://www.blogher.com/why-our-parents-put-us-shame

So, on to these cupcakes.  They are the best.  I originally made them for a work function – maybe it was Valentine’s Day last year – can’t quite remember.  But anyways, they were a big hit even with the adults.  So when Taylor said that she wanted red velvet for her birthday this year, I immediately went to this recipe.  Actually, Grandma  made these particular cupcakes.  They are a bit of a cheat, but it’s ok, because they are dressed up a bit and the taste is wonderful.  The frosting is the real hit, though.  I always think that cream cheese frosting is a bit too tangy for me.  These are just right.  They are a perfect blend of whipped cream (ok, so Cool Whip,) cream cheese and sugar.   The recipe is actually from Philadelphia Cream Cheese, which goes back to my post on using recipes that come from the people that make the product.   Try these cupcakes – even if you make your own red velvet cake and just use this frosting recipe, it will still be delish.  Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Adapted from Kraft Foods

1 pkg. (2-layer size) red velvet cake mix

1 pkg.(3.9 oz.) Chocolate Instant Pudding

1 pkg.(8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 pkg.(16 oz.)powdered sugar (about 4 cups)

1 cup thawed Whipped Topping