Red Velvet Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
Why I Love This Recipe
One of the many recipes that has struck my fancy while trolling the foodnetwork site. I made a few minor subsitutions with what I had on hand ingredient-wise when I made these for a family gathering (dark chocolate cocoa powder instead of regular and I used whatever amount comes in the little jar of "Christmas Red" by Wilton, which is really probably about the 2 Tbsp that it calls for anyway) and they were described as "heaven in a cupcake" so I'm going to go ahead and call this one a success and pass it on.
Ingredients You'll Need
Cake:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 pound cream cheese, softened (1 pkg)
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350*F. Line 2 (12 cup) muffin pans w/ cupcake papers (or regular cake pans).
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, egs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, halfway through. Test the cupakes w/ a toothpick for doneness.
Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.
