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Forget about that whole what does sativa or indica actually mean argument — did you know that red velvet cake is just chocolate cake dyed red? Did everyone know that already? Whether or not that just blew your mind, it is a fact that red velvet cake is a perfectly delectable treat, especially with a generous layer of rich cream cheese frosting on top.
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Now imagine you took this dessert (and all-time great sports nickname) and added an ample dose of THC right there in the batter? Would you care if it was just chocolate cake as you sink into the couch, your whole body feeling like it was ensconced in….velvet? Chances are you’d have a giant smile on your face, and a new question on your mind — what if cupcakes aren’t tiny cakes, but rather, cakes are giant cupcakes?
In the meantime, here’s how to make your own red velvet marijuana cupcakes, and how to make any day a special occasion.
Why weed cupcakes are a great idea
THC infused cupcakes are a great idea any day of the week and arguably could be part of any balanced diet, right there leaning on the side of the food pyramid. But you may ask yourself, why bother making space cupcakes when I could just smoke a joint or hit the vape and then down as many cupcakes as I like?
Fair enough, but you clicked on a cannabis edibles recipe link, and for good reason.
Edibles take a longer time to kick in, and create a potent, unique high that you can feel throughout your body. They can also make everything just a little (or a lot) funnier.
Also, edibles are a great way to dose cannabis for people who can’t or don’t want to smoke, or who need to keep things discrete and don’t want to leave any stinky tracks behind them. Also, like with smoking, there’s a social aspect to edibles as well. Having a batch of fresh edibles at home is the perfect excuse to call up some friends and make it a movie night. Just don’t try too hard to follow the plot.
Common edibles mistakes
If you’ve ever eaten a red velvet cupcake then you’ve surely eaten more than one. They’re delicious, light and fluffy, and can be polished off in no time. That is where you can get into trouble.
With edibles, it’s important not to overdo the dose. Sure, you won’t die, but you may have an experience that is too intense for your liking.
One of the main reasons this happens is because people are impatient and don’t wait long enough for the THC to kick in. They then think their dose was too small, head in for round two, and just a moment or two too late, realize that they doubled their dose for no reason.
To avoid this mishap, take your time and start with a small dose. Eat a single cupcake and put the rest aside and wait. If the dose doesn’t produce a strong enough high, then just take more the next time. The phrase to remember is, “start low and go slow.”
Another common mistake is forgetting to decarboxylate your cannabis first, which can leave you with nothing but a delicious pan of cupcakes (which doesn’t sound that bad, unless you were counting on those cupcakes getting you high).
What is decarboxylation?
Before you make those space cupcakes, you’ll need to carry out this crucial step to “activate” your cannabis. Decarboxylation is a rather simple process that involves heating up cannabis so that the cannabinoid THCA converts to THC, thus allowing you to get high from eating it.
When you smoke or vape, this process happens almost instantaneously due to the heat applied. For edibles, you’ll need to grind up some cannabis and bake it for about 30-45 minutes at around 220-245°F (105-120°C). Keep a close eye to make sure the herb doesn’t scorch, but that’s really all it takes.
How to make cannabis butter/cannabutter
With your cannabis freshly decarboxylated, you can now easily make a cannabis-infused fat, a crucial step in making countless edibles. In this case, we’re going to make cannabutter, because it goes great with this pot cupcakes recipe. Obviously, you can also make cupcakes using cannabis-infused oil, and you can find a recipe here.
For cannabis butter, here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients:
- 3-14 grams of ground, decarboxylated cannabis
- 2 sticks of butter (one cup)
- Cheesecloth
- Storage container
The easiest way to make cannabis butter is in a saucepan. Simply simmer a cup of water and a cup of butter together in a saucepan until the butter melts. Then mix in the decarboxylated cannabis and let it simmer at around 160-180°F (70-80°C) for 2-3 hours, making sure that it doesn’t boil.
After 2-3 hours, take the saucepan off the heat and let the mixture cool. Then pour it through cheesecloth into a container and that’s all she wrote. You are now ready to make all types of edibles.
How to make red velvet weed cupcakes
We really liked this red velvet cupcakes recipe from Simply Recipes, which can be easily tweaked by using cannabutter instead of all or part of the butter listed in the ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1.5
cups sugar
- 0.5
cup cannabis butter at room temperature*
- 2
large eggs, room temperature
- 2.33
cups cake flour
- 2
tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1
teaspoon baking soda
- 1
teaspoon baking powder
- 0.5
teaspoon salt
- 1
cup buttermilk
- 1.5
tablespoons red food coloring
- 1
teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1
teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 1.5
cups sugar
- 0.5
cup cannabis butter at room temperature*
- 2
large eggs, room temperature
- 2.33
cups cake flour
- 2
tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1
teaspoon baking soda
- 1
teaspoon baking powder
- 0.5
teaspoon salt
- 1
cup buttermilk
- 1.5
tablespoons red food coloring
- 1
teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1
teaspoon distilled white vinegar
*if you would like a less potent batch, you can use a ¼ cup of cannabis butter and a ¼ cup of regular butter
Cream cheese frosting ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two muffin pans with cupcake papers.
- Using an electric mixer set to medium speed, beat the butter and sugar for about three minutes or until it becomes light and fluffy.
- Slowly add in the eggs one at a time and beat until fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a third bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring.
- Here’s where it might get tricky: Add 1/4 of the dry ingredients to the third bowl and mix, then add 1/3 of the wet mix. Continue mixing in a wet, dry, pattern, until the mix is just combined. Make sure not to overmix.
- Scoop the batter into the cupcake papers, filling to about ½ to ¾ full. It should make between 18-24 cupcakes.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Make sure to rotate the pan after 15 minutes so it bakes evenly.
- Remove cupcakes from heat and allow them to cool on a wire rack.
- For the frosting, simply beat the butter and cream cheese together with the mixer. Add in the vanilla extract and make sure it’s well incorporated, then add the powdered sugar until it tastes just right.
How to dose with cannabis edibles
Gauging the potency of edibles can be trickier than smokable cannabis, mainly because of the long onset time. You won’t know how it makes you feel right away, and it can take some trial and error and patience to get the feeling you’re looking for.
The actual potency of a recipe like this one depends on a wide variety of factors. The strength and amount of cannabis butter used is the main one. This one is easily customizable, by using less cannabis in your cannabutter or less cannabutter in the weed cupcakes recipe. If you use less cannabis or a weaker type of cannabis flower to make your cannabis butter, then you should have a less potent edible.
Also, if you have a higher — or lower — tolerance, this can also play a central role in how high you get.
The bottom line is to know your tolerance and take your time. Start with a smaller dose — even just a half a cupcake, and see how you feel. Worst case you can always take more next time.
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