Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe

For the past year I've been trying to find a good red velvet cupcake recipe. Every time I tried to make red velvet cupcakes they would always come out wrong one way or another. Once they were way too oily and another time they were way too chocolaty. So, one day I was telling my friend about my horrifying red velvet cupcake experiences and she told me that her sister sometimes finds really good recipes from Martha Stewart's website. Before then I didn't even know that Martha Stewart had a website. So, I went scrolling through the recipes (this was sometime last year) and I came across a red velvet cupcake recipe and thought "I'm gonna have to try this one day!". There were a lot of really good reviews so I thought "Why not?". About a week or so a go I finally tried out that recipe and I made it 3 times since then! It's the best red velvet cupcake recipe I've ever come across :)  

              

     Ingredients: 

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self- rising), sifted
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon red gel-paste food color
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

         Cream Cheese Frosting

         (I usually half this recipe)

• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 pound (4 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

        

     Directions:

        

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.

         2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in food color and vanilla.

          

        3. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds.

  

       4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. 

Directions for Cream Cheese Frosting

(Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before putting on the frosting)

Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then vanilla; mix until smooth.