Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

The other day Nick was commenting on how much he misses The Little Cupcakes shop in Melbourne.  Since it's holiday time and I have plenty of time to spend on cooking, I decided to surprise him with some of his favourite flavoured cupcakes- Red Velvet. 

 Fun fact:  red velvet cupcakes originally were not coloured with food dye but were red due to the unprocessed cocoa reacting with the buttermilk making a rich deep browny red colour.  Nowadays it is increasingly difficult to find unprocessed cocoa so food dye is the way to go.  

Tip:  use a hand electric beater for majority of the method - this helps make the cupcakes fluffier.

This recipe makes about 30 cupcakes.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients

Cupcake

 - 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)

- 1 bottle of red food dye (approx. 3 teaspoons)

 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

 - 1 1/2 cup sugar

 - 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder, sifted

 - 2 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted

 - 1 teaspoon salt

 - 2 eggs, at room temperature

 - 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

 - 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

 - 1 teaspoon baking soda, sifted

 - 1 teaspoon white vinegar

Icing

 - 120 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature

 - 180 grams light cream cheese (preferably block rather than spreadable), at room temperature

 - 2 cups icing sugar (do not use icing mixture - it is not the same thing!)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees.  Place cupcake liners into the muffin tins
2. In a small bowl mix together the cocoa and red food dye - ensure there are no lumps
3. In a large bowl beat butter and sugar until creamy and light.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
5. Add cocoa paste and vanilla essence, beat well.
6. Add baking powder, salt and 1/3 of the flour.  Beat well
7. Add half of the buttermilk.  Beat
8. Add 1/3 of flour.  Beat
9. Add the rest of the buttermilk.  Beat
10. Add the rest of the flour.  Beat
11. In a separate bowl add vinegar and baking soda (don't worry if it fizzes - this is normal).  Mix this into the cupcakes batter.
12. Fill the muffin tins 3/4 full.  Place in oven for around 20 minutes.  Check them by placing a skewer into one of the centre muffins and checking if it comes out clean.    Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack
13. For the icing - beat together the butter until creamy and light.  Add the cream cheese and continue beating until fluffy.
14. Add the icing sugar a cup at a time and beat until the icing mixture if very fluffy.  
15. Once the cupcakes are cooled, pipe the icing onto them.  Enjoy :D

Note that this icing must be refrigerated.