Red Velvet Cupcakes

Happy Valentine’s Day! I can’t say that I’m one who goes all out for this holiday, but I think that it’s a nice day. In conversations with my Internet friends, it seems you either like this holiday or you don’t! In this case, by coworker’s birthday is today and I wanted to make something for him. I asked what type of cake he would like, and he mentioned red velvet. I guess having your birthday on Valentine’s Day, you get used to themed desserts on your birthday. I had made red velvet whoopie pies, but hadn’t made a regular red velvet cake, so I figured that would be perfect.

There are many red velvet recipes floating out there, but I remembered that Bridget from The Way the Cookie Crumbles had done a red velvet cake comparison a while ago, so I decided to go with her recommendation. I follow her blog regularly and I love her methodology when she tests out different recipes. She picked the recipe from Apple A Day, and I went with that.

I have to say that this was one of the easiest recipes I’ve ever made. Mix the dry ingredients, then mix the wet ingredients, then stir the two to combine. It uses an entire bottle of red food coloring so the batter looks almost neon red, but once baked it’s a lovely shade of red: not too dark, not too pink. Do be careful if you get some on the counter, as this stuff stains like crazy! (I forgot that my husband needed a bit of food coloring for the dessert he was making. Sorry hun!) The frosting is super fluffy and tastes great. These are picture perfect and taste wonderful.

2½ cups cake flour
1½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1½ cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons (1 oz.) red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

12 ounces cream cheese, softened
12 ounces butter, softened
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pans with paper baking cups.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa, and salt into a medium bowl. In a large mixer bowl, beat eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Fill baking cups about ¾ full. You should get 18-20 cupcakes.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool 5 minutes and then remove them from the pan and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Add sugar and beat until frosting is light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Frost or pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Sprinkle with red decorator sugar, if desired. Refrigerate cupcakes.

Recipe from Bridget at The Way the Cookie Crumbles. She got the recipe from Apple A Day