Red Velvet Cupcakes

What You Will Need

Red Velvet Cupcakes

• 3 1/3 cups plain flour
• 170g butter, softened
• 2 ¼ cups sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• ½ tsp. red gel food colouring
• 3 tbs. cocoa powder
• 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk
• 1 ½ tsp. white vinegar
• 1 ½ tsp. bicarbonate of soda

Cream Cheese Icing

• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 250g butter, softened
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 ½ cups icing sugar
• 1 tbs. milk

How To Make It

Step One: Line a 12 hole cupcake tin with cupcake liners and preheat the oven to 160C.

Step Two: Using a hand mixer or bench mixer, beat together the sugar and butter.

Step Three: Add one egg at a time. Mixing well between each addition.

Step Four: Mix in the cocoa powder and vanilla and mix well.

Step Five: In a seperate bowl mix together the butter milk, salt and red gel food colouring. (You may need more food colouring depending on the brand).

Step Six: Alternating between flour and butter milk, mix them into batter. Mixing well between each addition.

Step Seven: In a seperate bowl, mix together the bicarbonate and vinegar and then mix it well into the batter.

Step Eight: Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners. Making them about 2/3 of the way full.

Step Nine: Bake cupcakes for 18 mins.

Step Ten: Allow the cupcake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then completely cool on a wire rack.

Step Eleven:While the cupcakes cool, beat together the butter, cream cheese, salt and vanilla until it is smooth.

Step Twelve: Add the Ising sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing well between additions.

Step Thirteen: With the mixer on slow, gradually add the milk until it reaches icing consistency.

Step Fourteen: Pop the cream cheese icing into a piping bag and dollop the icing on to the cupcakes. I used heart sprinkles to decorate for Valentine’s Day.