Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Velvet Cupcakes

These are just beautiful to look at, very captivating to the eye. But in saying that, they also taste wonderfully rich, and they live up to their name Velvety Cupcakes, cause they are just that - Velvety. I urge you to try these and just see people's faces when you hand them around the workplace or to your family and friends at home. They will also be captivated by these amazing little blessings.

This recipe is adapted from eatblogsleep.com. I have modified it very slightly to meet my baking measurements. Instead of the Cream Cheese Buttercream, sometimes I frost with Whipped Cream Buttercream and I have added that recipe at the bottom in case you prefer that way. I will eat them either way hehe.


Yeilds approximately 30 cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 1/2 c plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons red food color
120g unsalted butter
1 1/2 c caster sugar
2 eggs
1 c buttermilk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven 150° degrees fan bake. (See "The Oven" tab on my blog before starting your oven).
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside. Then combine the cocoa and the red food coloring in another bowl and mix into a paste.
In your mixer beat the butter for 2 minutes then add the sugar and beat a further 2 minutes or until the mixture is light and creamy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure you scrap the bowl down after each egg.
Then add the cocoa and red food coloring paste and beat together.
Add 1/2 the flour mixture and beat until just combined, then add 1/2 the buttermilk and mix to just combined. Repeat this process one more time by adding the remaining flour and then the remanding buttermilk. Do not over beat as the cupcakes will get tough.
In a small bowl mix the vinegar and baking soda. When mixture has stopped the fizzing , add it to the batter and gently beat through but only until just combined.
Then fill the cupcake papers 2/3 with the batter.
Then bake for about 15-20 minutes approximately. You will know when they are baked as when you use a baking skewer it will come out clean.
Remove the cupcakes immediately onto wire racks and once they have cooled you can pipe on the buttercream.

Cream Cheese Buttercream
125 g butter
400 g cream cheese
2 teaspoons lemon juice (approx)
700g icing sugar

Cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, usually this takes me about 2-3 minutes.
Add the lemon juice and 1/2 the icing sugar.
Beat for about 4 minutes until light and fluffy.
Then sift in the remaining icing sugar and beat until creamy.
You may need to add more or less icing sugar, depending on the consistency you need. Then pipe onto cooled cupcakes and decorate.





Whipped Cream Buttercream
215 g butter
950g icing sugar
2 tablespoons boiling water
1/2 c thickened cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream the butter in electric mixer. Then add half the icing sugar, the boiling water and 1/2 the thickened cream and the vanilla extract. Beat until creamy. Then add the remaining icing sugar and thickened cream. You may need a little more icing sugar and or water to the buttercream until you get your desired consistency.

Happy Baking xxx