Red Velvet Cupcakes

Mmm, will you look at those? YUM! This was my first time ever making AND eating red velvet cake. Where have you been all my life? Why have we not met before? For those of you who don't like Red Velvet (i.e. Jaylene), you're crazy. This was the most delectable cake I have ever had in my life. Incredibly moist, flavourful, vibrant in colour... and that icing? What can go wrong with cream cheese frosting? I can't say enough good things about these cupcakes, they were to... die... for. I am looking forward to the day when I can make them again, or even a full cake! You gotta try these.

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

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese (about 1 block)
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. clear vanilla extract
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

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. The batter has a very odd texture- something I've never encountered before. It's almost... goopy for lack of a better word, like a runnier putty. Perhaps it was just the way I made them as I have nothing to compare it to, but either way they turned out fantastic.

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.

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. 

*If you enjoy large amounts of frosting, you might consider increasing the quantities by 50%. This is what I did for this batch and often do for cupcakes; I'd rather end up with too much than too little.

Source: Annies Eats, originally adapted from other sites.

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