I’m about to confess something. Something that I didn’t realize until this weekend. I’ve never had red velvet cake before! I’ve made red velvet brownies, but never in cake form. Anyone else find this as odd as me?!?
Due to above statement, I didn’t know where to start to look for recipes. There are so many out there. So I reached out to twitter originally for a cream cheese frosting recipe and my friend Michelle, from Confessions of a Recipe Junkie, pointed me in the direction of the amazing Paula Deen. I decided to not only make the frosting but also try out the red velvet cupcakes. Both turned out super tasty! The cupcakes were soft, airy and fluffy. And about that frosting….well, it’s probably the best cream cheese frosting the husband has ever had. Which is huge!! He’s a big cream cheese frosting fan. Besides the taste, the best part about this recipe is that it makes a lot. So don’t be stingy on decorating those red pillows of goodness.
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe from Paula Deen
Red Velvet Cake Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tbsp red food coloring
- 1 tsp white distilled vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12-cup) muffins pans with cupcake liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large mixing bowl, slowly beat together oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Repeat until all dry ingredients are added.
3. Using a large scoop, fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, turning the pans half way through to achieve even baking. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Transfer cupcake pan to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 2 pkgs (1 lb) cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups sifted confections’ sugar
Directions
1. Using a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add confectioners’ sugar on low speed, beat until fully combined. Increase sped to high and mix until light and fluffy.
2. Using a piping bag, pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.