In this week’s parsha, Yitzchak and Rivka gave birth to Yaakov and Esav. Esav had red spiky hair, so for this week’s parsha we will be making red velvet cupcakes with spiky red frosting.

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup milk
• 1 (1-ounce) bottle red food coloring (save a little for the frosting)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (16-ounce) box confectioners’ sugar
• A little bit of red food coloring

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food coloring and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup ⅔ full.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely. For the frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream, vanilla extract and red food coloring in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Frost with vanilla cream cheese frosting and take the back of a spoon to make the frosting stand up in spikes.

Sarina Ross is a fourth grader at Ben Porat Yosef. She loves to cook and bake.