Red Velvet Cupcakes

My best friend's birthday is tomorrow. She's taken an obsession to red velvet cupcakes ever since she saw a picture of one topped with a strawberry. She immediately posted the picture on her LJ and said "Someone has to make me this."

She's never had a red velvet cupcake. I've never had a red velvet cupcake. We've both always wanted to try one. So I figured, why not?

So after weeks of dreaming about them and how I would decorate them, her birthday has finally arrived! I made them and I'm proud of them :)



They taste great too, though the chocolate taste is minimal. My sister grabbed one that hadn't been iced yet as she ran out the door to work. She loved the taste, but mentioned that they were a little dry. The cream cheese icing fixed that. They're delicious. And they're ever so pretty :)

Red Velvet Cupcakes (yields 12)

via the Kitchen Sink Recipes

1-1/4 cups cake flour
1/4 cups cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder or 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 ounce red food coloring
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 350°F

2. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder (or cream of tarter), and salt into medium bowl

3. Whisk buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, and food coloring in small bowl to blend

4. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well fluffy, 3 minutes

5. Add eggs, beating until well blended, about 30 seconds

6. Beat in dry ingredients in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk mixture in 3 additions

7. Scoop into cupcake tins

8. Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes

9. Cool in pans 10 minutes

10. Cool completely on racks and frost with cream cheese icing

Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting (frosts 24 cupcakes)
via Milk + Honey Café

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
5 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
8 oz Philly's Cream Cheese, cold

1. In a mixing bowl, beat butter, confectioner's sugar, salt and vanilla until combined. At this point, the mix is going to look really dry and crumbly, but be patient and it will come together, about 4 minutes.
2. Add cream cheese and mix until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. DON'T OVERBEAT. Frost as desired!