Brown Velvet Muffins

Anybody can make a red velvet cake... at least, that's what I thought, until my red colouring let me down, so I decided they were spooky brown ones instead, just perfect for Halloween!   The problem is that the easily available red colouring has changed its formula, so the mixture doesn't retain its glorious redness when baked.  Instead, you get a brown colour.  It tastes just as good, but only a colour blind ghoul would be fooled!   (the best colour is from paste which you can get on t'internet)

So, especially for colour blind ghouls everywhere.... here are some Brown Velvet Muffins!   These ones were tested on my non-ghoulish choir, and went down very nicely thank you, in the hungry gap between rehearsal and concert.   The standard cake recipe uses a lot of ingredients, so I halved it for these muffins.  Even then, there was a lot of icing on each muffin, but only one person complained...
(it's always the tenors!)

Brown Velvet Muffins

(Brown) or Red Velvet Muffins

11oz/300g caster sugar

4oz/120g softened butter

3 eggs

1 tbsp serious red food colouring (or brown/black!)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp cocoa powder

6.5oz/190g plain flour

1 pinch salt

4floz/125ml buttermilk

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 dessertspoon vinegar

Icing

1x 7oz/200g packs cream cheese

6oz/1750g white chocolate, melted

4oz/120g softened butter

small quantity dark chocolate for dusting

Preheat the oven to 170 deg C and line a large 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases. 

Cream the butter and sugar, adding the eggs one by one, beating well.  Add a small quantity of flour to prevent the eggs from curdling.   Add the colouring and vanilla.  Sieve the flour, salt and cocoa together and add to the mixture, alternating with the buttermilk.    Mix the bicarbonate of soda and vinegar together, stirring the fizzy mixture into the cake.  Don't over-beat at this stage.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake for approx 20 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

To make the icing, melt the chocolate and allow to cool.  Beat the cream cheese until fluffy, then add the chocolate and butter gradually, beating all the time.   Pour the mixture into a piping bag with a 1/2 inch pipe and ice each muffin lavishly.  Grate some dark chocolate over the top.  Chill to set the icing.