Red Velvet Cupcakes
These cupcakes are the perfect Valentine’s Day treat. They’re festive, delicious and individually portioned for guilt-control. I topped these with two different frostings – a classic cream cheese frosting and a flour based whipped vanilla frosting (the same one I used for the Devil Dog Cupcakes). Both were delicious, it’s just a matter of preference. If you like cream cheese frosting, by all means, go for that one. You don’t have to make these for a Valentine… it’s totally acceptable to make them for yourself just because.
INGREDIENTS
CUPCAKES
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp (1 oz.) liquid red food coloring (I used the gel food coloring and kept adding until the color was just right)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp distilled white vinegar
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 10 oz. cream cheese, chilled
- 6 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 4 tsp clear vanilla extract
HOW TO MAKE IT
CUPCAKES
- Line cupcake pans with paper liners
- In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt; whisk to blend
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar – beat on medium speed until well blended
- Slowly add in the dry ingredients on low speed and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners (I use an ice cream scooper to make sure they’re all the same size)
- Bake at 350°F, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes
- Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- Combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer
- Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes
- Add in the confectioners’ sugar and mix on low speed just until incorporated
- Increase the speed to medium-high and beat 2-3 minutes more
- Blend in the vanilla
