Glad you're safe! We'll have another challenge on Wednesday so don't worry about missing out on the fun.

dormcat -- wow what a story and what a great happy ending -- yes stay safe out there -- everybody --

cupcake recipes followed to the t -- all baked, iced, delivered and i was doing real good till the very end and i ate a whole one and it was WONderful -- hahahaha

so recipe one -- ok wait i forgot the posting instructions...

ok recipe one with the white cake mix base -- was great -- it would be perfect for a wedding or any big celebration because it baked nicely domed and was so creamy in texture -- at first it seemed almost gummy but no after a couple hours it was very nicely creamy -- it needed to season for a bit -- mild classic red velvet taste -- would probably sub in buttermilk next time for more tang -- it was easy to make -- it made about 36 cupcakes i think -- i would test this with self rising flour to see how it does -- i would bake this again --

the german choco cake mix base recipe was fantastic -- easy to make -- soft luscious texture makes it wonderful to eat yet not as much fun handling for a large event -- needed a heavier cupcake wrapper maybe -- or half as much oil -- these baked flat -- did not dome but muffin topped around the edge like my waist line -- hahahaha -- so icing them was more involved -- i'm a firm believer in covering the entire cake top with icing so it does not dry out -- my husband flipped over these and i ate a whole one -- these are the coolest because the mini choco chips kept it exciting all the way through -- this one made about 24 cupcakes --

my son-in-law and the police were happy to receive all the calories er i mean cupcakes hahahaha

don't hate me 'cause i fudged on the red food color -- i did everything else exactly -- which was hard aghhh :) made both of these as written but fudged on the wilton no taste red food coloring -- used one half ounce in each -- was plenty red enough --

oh and the icing was way soft -- i used two of the three tablespoons of cream -- so then i added about 3 ounces more 10x sugar -- it held but was pretty juicy -- all good -- i spatulaed it on sparingly and had like more than a cup leftover --

the german choc cake doctor recipe won hands down -- that's the one i gobbled up -- wow

@-K8memphis ‍ thanks for trying these out. I will definitely bake these soon. I bake from both scratch and box mixes so it's nice to see more recipes using the box. 

Wow, unexpected results.

Recipe A, taste was more traditional red velvet, but the texture was gummy and dense. Would be better for carving instead of cupcakes, maybe. Did not make a good cupcake. Perhaps self raising flour would help, but of course our challenge was to compare, not improve. I liked that this recipe had balsamic vinegar and a whole tablespoon of vanilla in it, when I initially read the recipes, I thought this one would win. This recipe had more ingredients, but both were super simple to make.

I also have a hard time following directions exactly so it was an exercise in discipline not to make little change, I REALLY wanted to add some vanilla to recipe b, but didn't.

Recipe B, the taste was out of this world, delicious. The texture was very fluffy, mine, like Kate's, also spilled over in a wide way, not in a domed way, so they were pretty ugly. See the picture below, both had the exact same amount of batter. I should have put less batter in the liner, but I like a domed cupcake. Though chocolate chips aren't traditional in RV cake, they made these spectacular. I liked the color of these better as well, which was deeper, less vibrant red from the chocolate cake mix.

I usually don't bake doctored mixes, but it was SOOOO EASY to throw everything in the mixer and combine with minimal measuring and less dishes than scratch baking. If I made doctored box mix RV cake again, I would make recipe B, the clear winner for me.

[postimage id="6294" thumb="900"]

I guess the muffin-type cupcake from recipe B is the usual result, unless you under-fill?

@-K8memphis ‍had the same results according to what she wrote: "did not dome but muffin topped around the edge like my waist line -- hahahaha"

initially after reading i thought the german choco would win because all the flavor is already there -- the recipe just redirected and improved on a great chocolate cake -- the one with the white cake mix base needed to be pumped up more in the flavor department to rise up the other one imo -- easy for me to say now but i didn't want to jump the gun and  i really did think that --

also my son-in-law and daughter both loved the choco chip one too -- 

[postimage id="6295" thumb="900"]