Red Velvet Cupcakes

​Inspired by...fan favorites

My friends hosted a New Year's Eve party at home this year.  It was so much more fun than the crowded bars of years past.  AND it meant that I could bake up some treats to share there!
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My friend Stan requests my red velvet cupcakes for every event possible.  So I had planned to make these cupcakes even before he could ask.  They're perfect for New Year's anyway - the rich red with gold decorations...what could be more sparkly and celebratory??

​I've learned over the years that no matter how yummy it looks, girls in fancy dresses will most likely not take a full-sized cupcake.  So for parties like this one, I usually go with mini cupcakes.  It's amazing how many more people will be tempted by AND try a mini cupcake (or 3!).  They're bite-sized and guilt-free.  And they're much easier to eat while mingling at a party.  Once the first person broke into these cupcakes, they were gone within a few minutes.  Apparently they paired well with champagne!

Recipe
Recipe slightly adapted from: Paula Deen at Food Network

​Red Velvet Cupcakes ​(makes approximately 24 cupcakes or 48-50 mini cupcakes)
Ingredients:​

• ​2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

​Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake pans.
2. Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.​​
3. ​In a large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer, mix (slowly to avoid splatter!) vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, red food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
4. ​Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet while mixing.  Beat until just incorporated.
5. ​Scoop into cupcake pans.  This batter rises a lot so I fill the pans just 2/3s of the way.
6. Bake for 20-22 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:

• 2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• ​2 sticks (1 cup) softened butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Beat cream cheese and butter until completely blended and smooth.
2. Beat in vanilla.
3. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, incorporating after each addition. 
4. Beat on high for another minute or so until fluffy.
5. Pipe generously onto cupcakes.

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