Red Velvet Cupcakes

This is the first time I've made Red Velvet anything, and I've never been a fan of Red Velvet until I had a cupcake at Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle. I tried my best to find a recipe I could tweak to get it as close to theirs as I could.

I used my little cups again, which are cute, but I really think they shouldn't be filled more than halfway to make a perfectly shaped cupcake. Most of them came out okay, but a couple were definitely a miss. This batter really rises well, so even with regular cupcake liners, don't fill them any more than 1/2 to 2/3 full.

I wanted a cake that would be truly red, many that I've tasted are more like a chocolate cake with a slight red tint. Here's what I came up with:

Red Velvet Cupcakes

By Dulce Doll

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups AP flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. cocoa powder

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. white vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 oz. red gel food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine buttermilk, oil, and eggs on medium speed. Add vinegar, vanilla, and red food coloring. Mix until smooth. Add sugar.

Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder together. Add dry ingredients to wet in batches, beating well between each addition.

Fill cupcake liners 1/2 to 2/3 full and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, rotating pan halfway through to ensure even baking.

Cream Cheese Frosting

By Dulce Doll

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup milk

6 to 8 cups icing sugar

Directions:

Cream the cream cheese and butter together. Add 1 cup of icing sugar and beat in. Add milk and another cup of icing sugar. Continue adding sugar 1/2 cup at a time until you have the desired consistency for piping.

Makes 24 cupcakes or one three layer cake.