Red Velvet Cupcakes

I love cupcakes.  Doesn't everyone?  What's not to love...cake and frosting all wrapped up in it's own package.  Yum. 

I've been experimenting with a few recipies for Red Velvet cupcakes recently.  I found that most of the cake recipes didn't translate well to cupcakes.   I did, however recently find a recipe I liked...after tweaking it some.  I took some to my family's weekly summer barbeque....to rave reviews. 

From June 2011

Red Velvet Cupcakes (adapted from a recipe in the Betty Crocker Holiday magazine from 2005)

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa (I used Ghiardelli)
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 oz bottle of red food color
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk (I used the substitute of adding 1 Tbl lemon juice to 1 cup milk...it worked great).
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbl apple cider vinegar

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line muffin cups with paper baking cups.  In a small bowl, mix flour, cocoa and salt; set aside.  In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter and sugar on medium speed until well mixed.  Add eggs, beat until light and fluffy.  Sir in food color and vanilla. 

Beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk on low speed until just blended.  Dissolve baking soda in apple cider vinegar, then add to the batter.  Beat until well blended.  Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.  Cool completely. 

I frosted these with my favorite buttercream recipe...because I haven't yet attempted to make a cream cheese frosting (and besides, both my husband and sister in law are lactose intolerant, and the cream cheese tends to make both of them sick). 

I didn't hear any complaints, though!

From June 2011

From June 2011