Red Velvet Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

These are so amazingly cute! I was so surprised about the color when I ate one cupcake for testing. They were shockingly bright red and it had a distinct taste of humble chocolate. Follow me on this blog for more blog updates!

For the Cupcakes:

2 ½ cups cake flour (sifted)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. red food coloring (two bottles)
½ cup unsalted butter (not in microwave)
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (at room temperature)
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp baking soda

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

2.      Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.  In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.

3.      In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, and then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture; beat until well combined.

4.      In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Fill cupcake cups with cake batter ¾ full. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check early and don’t over bake!

5.      Cool the cupcakes in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before frosting.  

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

2(8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and butter; beat until creamy. Mix in vanilla, and then gradually add the powdered sugar. 
2. Mix until frosting ingredients is completely combined. Check the consistency at this point. If it seems too soft, go ahead and add a little more sifted powdered sugar. If it seems too thick, mix in a teaspoon or so of milk. 
3. Use the frosting to frost your cake or cupcakes immediately- either by spreading or filling a piping bag, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to use (should be used to frost the same day).