Karen's Red Velvet Cupcakes

I recently ordered some scrumptious-looking cupcakes from an award-winning bakery for my mom's birthday dinner. However, the cupcakes were only average in taste. My red velvet cupcakes with the rich cream cheese frosting would have been a much better choice. Here is my recipe:

Cupcake ingredients:
1 ½ cups sugar
1 stick butter
2 eggs
2 cups flour – measure first then sift and use all
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup milk
½ cup sour cream
4 tsp red food coloring (refer to notation at the bottom of this post)
1 tsp vanilla extract
24 cupcake cups (paper or foil)

Frosting ingredients:
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
8 oz cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Red sprinkles (optional)

Method - Cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mix well.
3. In a second bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder. And the salt.
4. In a third bowl, whisk sour cream, milk, vanilla and food coloring.
5. Add flour mixture and milk mixture into butter mixture in turns, incorporating each time. End with flour mixture. Mix well.
6. Scoop batter into cupcake cups, filling about ½ to ¾ full. (Using an ice cream scooper with a spring release is helpful.)
7. Bake for 20-22 minutes, rotating pan halfway through to ensure even baking. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Cupcakes should be slightly springy when pressed lightly.
8. Cool cupcakes before frosting.

Method - Frosting:
1. Cream butter and cream cheese using electric mixer. Mix in vanilla.
2. Mix in powdered sugar gradually, testing for desired sweetness. (I used the full 2 cups.)
3. Roll down the sides of a ziplock bag and scoop frosting in. Squeeze the frosting into one corner of the bag, release extra air, and seal the bag. Cut one corner of the bag with a scissors.
4. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Decorate with red sprinkles if desired.



Note: Add more food coloring to the batter if it doesn't look red enough for you. I prefer to use less coloring so the cupcakes are not as bright red as you might see at a bakery.