Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe makes 15 regular sized cupcakes.

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cupcake liners into your cupcake pans. For this recipe I got about 15 cupcakes. If you’d like, you can also gently spray the top of your cupcake pan with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add your egg, egg yolk, brown sugar and vanilla sugar and beat with the paddle attachment on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3. Stop mixer, scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and add your red food coloring and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until combined. Stop mixer again, scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl, and add your oil and mayonnaise. Mix again on medium speed until combined.

4. While this is mixing, sift together your flours, cocoa powder, and salt into a bowl (or onto a sheet of wax/parchment paper). Also, gently heat up your buttermilk until just warmed to the touch (just a few seconds in the microwave). Set aside.

5. While mixer is on low, alternate adding your dry ingredients and your buttermilk until all of each is added. Start with your dry ingredients and end with the dry. Mix until just combined. Then stop mixer, scrape down sides and bottom of bowl, and mix quickly again.

6. In a small bowl mix together your baking soda and vinegar and quickly add it into your batter while the mixer is on medium speed. Mix until combined.

7. Finally, pour (or scoop) batter into your cupcake liners and fill them about 2/3 of the way up. Place in preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, turning pans halfway through baking. They’re done when they’ve risen and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out with crumbs. Remove pans from oven and set on a wire rack. Let cupcakes cool in pan 5 minutes and then take them out and allow to cool on a rack until completely cooled.

For the frosting:

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer (make sure bowl is clean, dry and not warm) add your cream cheese and butter. Mix together with the paddle attachment on medium high speed until creamed together, about 1-2 minutes.

2. Add vanilla extract and continue mixing until combined.

3. Stop mixer and scrape down sides and bottom of bowl. Next, with mixer on low speed, slowly add your sifted powdered sugar. Mix on low until combined and then turn up speed to high and beat another 30 seconds.

*Note: It is crucial that you measure your 1 cup of powered sugar before sifting. If you do it the other way around you will get a different amount.

Once cupcakes are completely cooled, frost with your cream cheese frosting however you please!

Cupcakes unfrosted, can be placed in an airtight container and stored in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Frosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days. Or you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. I would recommend removing them from the fridge at least an hour before you plan to consume, to allow them to come to room temperature.

Cream cheese frosting can be stored at room temperature if you plan to use that day. If so make sure you store it with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface. Or it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you do this, just allow it to come to room temperature before you plan to use.

Cupcake recipe adapted from Sweetapolita. Frosting recipe is a ©Sweet Lavender Bake Shoppe recipe.