Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

It seems like in general the people who spend time in the kitchen are either cooks or bakers. I tend to fall into the first category but my boyfriend is slowly turning into the latter. Lately he’s been experimenting with different desserts so he decided to try making red velvet cupcakes for Valentine’s Day! The cupcakes turned out so well! The cream cheese frosting went perfectly with the chocolatey cupcake. The inside was a rich, red color that was fluffy and light. The original recipe yielded 30 cupcakes but we decided to make 1 dozen instead. Surprisingly, the odd measurements didn’t cause any problems in the baking process. It was a wonderful treat for Valentine’s Day!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from AllRecipes
(makes 1 dozen)
Printable Version

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 3 tbsp + 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp butter, softened
• 3/4 cup + 2 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 egg
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp sour cream
• 3 tbsp + 1/2 tsp whole milk
• 3/8 of a 1 oz bottle red food color
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 batch Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs. Mix in the sour cream, milk, food color, and vanilla.
3. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended.
4. Spoon batter into 12 paper lined muffin cups, filling each up 2/3 full.
5. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick poked into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack or plate completely before frosting.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
(makes 12 servings)

Ingredients:

• 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 tbsp + 2 tsp butter, softened
• 2 1/2 tsp sour cream
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
2. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until smooth.