Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Cake:

• • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 3/4 cups sugar

  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • 3 eggs

  • 1 cup vegetable oil

  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

  • 1 tablespoon vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 bottle (.75 ounces) Americolor Super Red gel food coloring

Cream Cheese Buttercream:

• • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

  • 4 1/2 - 5 cups powdered sugar

  • 2 tablespoons meringue powder

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla

  • milk, if needed

Garnish:

• • cake crumbs and cake cutouts

  • sprinkles and sparkling sugar

  • fresh berries

Bake the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350. Line muffin tins with 30 paper cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and red food coloring. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk vigorously for several minutes until smooth and well blended. Fill the cups 2/3 full.

Bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes, until the tops spring back and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pans for two minutes, then remove and set on wire racks, covered loosely with a clean kitchen towel and cool completely.

Make the Frosting:

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed for 2 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar and meringue powder, mixing on low to combine. Add the vanilla. Increase speed to medium and beat for several minutes until smooth and creamy; add milk if needed to reach the desired consistency for spreading or piping.

Assemble:

Pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes and garnish as desired. For the cake cutouts, I sliced the rounded tops off a few cupcakes and used cookie cutters to cut shapes. Then I frosted the cupcake and topped it with a cutout.

Recipe from Curly Girl Kitchen