Red Velvet Cupcakes

This is honestly the best red velvet recipe that I've found. It's so dense and moist and just freaking delicious. This recipe can be used to make cupcakes or a cake! The cream cheese frosting recipe goes great with red velvet, but it's also a great recipe to have around to frost something else!

Cupcakes:

In a small bowl combine:

2 1/2 cups flour
3 Tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

In a larger bowl combine:

1 1/2 cups granulate sugar
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
2 eggs <add one at a time, beat well in between>

Add flour mixture and 1 1/4 cups buttermilk to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Next add:
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

To get the red color add red food coloring. It takes anywhere from 2 Tablespoons to 4 or 5 Tablespoons, depending on how red you want them. The more you add, the brighter the red!

Line muffin tin with paper (or foil) baking cups.
Bake at 350 for 17-20 minutes.
<I always set my timer for the lowest amount of time. When it goes off I stick a fork in the middle cupcake and if it comes out clean then they're done!>

Allow them to cool on wire racks.


Frosting:

In a medium bowl beat:
5 Tablespoons butter, softened
4 Tablespoons buttermilk
1 (8 oz) block of cream cheese, softened

Beat well, then add:
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (about a pound)
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla

If the frosting is too thick, add a little bit of buttermilk. If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar!

The best way to frost the cupcakes is to spoon all of the frosting into a ziploc bag. Cut off one of the corners and squeeze the frosting onto the cupcake in a circle, starting on the outside and ending in the middle so you get a nice little peak like so:

The recipe makes 24 cupcakes, and there is more than enough frosting, so be generous!

ENJOY!

And let me know how they turned out :^)