Red Velvet Cupcakes

 

Would it be biased as a redhead to say that all great things are red?  (Okay, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement, but I do adore these cupcakes).  There's something about a red velvet cupcake that never fails to impress. They ooze sophistication, deliciousness, and it's pretty obvious that they are nice to look at (and obviously even nicer to eat).  I always get excited whenever I am asked to make these cupcakes for people; I honestly never get sick of them.  There's just nothing that really can compare to a classic like this.  And if you want my opinion (I apologize if you don't, because you're going to get it anyway!), a rich cream cheese frosting is a must when it comes down to making these.  The combination is unrivaled...and who honestly wants to mess with perfection!? 

If you have never tried red velvet cake....you are seriously missing out.  I remember when I saw it for the first time and how intrigued I was. My first thought was, "I need to try it!"  And after falling in love, my second thought was, "I need to make it!"  It's amazing how a little food coloring really ups the "wow" factor of these cupcakes.  Personally, I like mine to have a bold red color to them like these ones, which contrasts quite nicely with the frosting.  You can keep them nice and simple or dress them all up for any occasion; whatever you choose they are extremely impressive, iconic, and a definite crowd-pleaser.  But, make sure you bring more than enough of these little cuties wherever you go...people will fight over who gets the last one!

 

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Yield: about 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 2½ cups cake flour

• 1½ cups sugar

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 1 tbsp. cocoa powder

• 1 tsp. salt

• 2 large eggs

• 1½ cups vegetable oil

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 2 tbsp. (1 oz.) liquid red food coloring

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 tsp. distilled white vinegar

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350° F.  
• 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.  
• Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners.  
• Bake, 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.

For the frosting:

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. cream cheese

• 5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions:

• To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.  
• Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.  
• Mix in the vanilla extract.  
• Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth.  
• Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

Note:  Since I use a lot of frosting on my cupcakes, I increased the quantity of ingredients by 50% to frost 24 cupcakes.  

Cupcakes adapted from: Annie's Eats