Red Velvet Cupcakes
 
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
  • 1 cup (130g) all purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons (10g) cocoa powder, dutch or natural
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup salted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1- 2 Tablespoons red food coloring (depends on brand of food dye and personal preference)
  • ½ teaspoon vinegar
  • ½ cup buttermilk*
Frosting:
  • 8 oz block cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup salted butter, softened
  • 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For Cupcakes:
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. Line muffin tin with 12 liners.
  3. In a small bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
  4. With an electric mixer, beat the butter with the granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
  5. Add in the egg and mix until combined.
  6. Add in the vanilla, red food coloring, and vinegar and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  7. Mix in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk in 2 additions. Mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
  8. Using a large cookie scoop, fill the muffin liners evenly with batter, about ⅔ - ¾ full for each liner.
  9. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  10. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove the cupcakes from the tin to finish cooling on a cooling rack.
For the Frosting:
  1. With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until there are no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again.
  2. Add in the powdered sugar.
  3. Add in the vanilla.
  4. Beat frosting until smooth.
For Assembly:
  1. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes using a piping bag and tip. I used a Wilton 6B piping tip to get the shape shown in the pictures.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
* To make buttermilk, mix 1 teaspoon vinegar with ½ cup (110g) milk and let stand for 5 minutes.
Recipe by Birch Tree Baking at https://www.birchtreebaking.com/red-velvet-cupcakes/