Red Velvet Cupcakes

Over the weekend, I hosted a baby shower. While I was struck with the flu earlier in the week, I still forced myself to go ahead with making the cupcakes that I had planned on making from the start. Hopefully, they turned out okay. I found the recipe to be on the sweet side, and perhaps not as red as I would have liked a red velvet cupcake to be. I will definitely cut down on the sugar and increase the amount of red food coloring the next time!

INGREDIENTS:

Cupcakes:
2 1/2 cups Cake Flour (sifted)
2 tbsp. unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 1/2 cups Vegetable Oil
2 large Eggs (room temperature)
5-6 drops Red Food Color
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 cup Buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. White Vinegar

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups Cream Cheese (room temperature)
4 cups confectioners' sugar (sifted)
3/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.

Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in food color and vanilla.

Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

For frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then vanilla; mix until smooth.
Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, pipe frosting on each cupcake in a circular pattern, then release pressure and pull up to form a peak in the center.