Red Velvet Cupcakes

And now finally, here is the final Cupcake Musketeer! Today is a classic: Red Velvet Cupcakes! I remember when I was younger not understanding what red velvet meant, and since it wasn’t vanilla, I didn’t eat them for the longest time. Now I absolutely love them (especially with cream cheese frosting; can’t do without it!). Enjoy!

Ingredients:

·      ¼ cup + 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

·      1 tsp vanilla extract

·      5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

·      ¾ cup heaped superfine sugar

·      2 egg yolks

·      Pinch of salt

·      2/3 cup buttermilk

·      1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

·      ½ tsp baking soda

·      ½ tsp white wine vinegar

·      1 tsp red food coloring

·      ½ cup milk

·      1 ½ tbsp. all-purpose flour

·      Pinch of salt

·      7 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

·      1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar

·      3 ½ oz white chocolate, melted and cooled

·      ½ tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line the cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Combine the 1 tsp vanilla extract and cocoa powder in a small bowl and set aside. Beat the butter and superfine sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed. Ad the yolks one at a time, beat for another minute, and add the cocoa mixture. Stir the salt into the buttermilk, then add 1/3 of the buttermilk to the butter mixture, followed by 1/3 of the flour, and repeat this until everything has been combined. Stir the baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring into the batter, then pour the batter into the cupcake pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool to room temperature before applying the frosting.

To make the frosting, first whisk the milk, flour, and salt over medium heat for a couple minutes until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Let cool. Beat the butter and confectioner’s sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in the cooled chocolate, milk mixture, and vanilla extract, and mix until smooth and fluffy. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, dust with confectioner’s sugar, and take a large bite!