Red Velvet Cupcakes for a Bridal Shower

I am also over at Leeann's blog talking about my favorite fashion obsession!
On Saturday, I attended my friend, Michelle's bridal shower and I was asked to make cupcakes and her favorite cake she said is red velvet so red velvet cupcakes it was! The colors of her shower were black, purple and silver and the theme was heels and the perfect fair. To decorate the cupcakes, I picked cupcake liners and I got some purple sprinkles. I wanted to do a chocolate high heel, I found a mold at my local cake decorating place so each of the cupcakes had a chocolate high heel for decoration!

For the red velvet cupcakes, which turned out light and not dense so this recipe is a winner in my book although it can be a little involved.

First, gather together your ingredients: 2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 oz. red food coloring (two bottles)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, 1 1/2 cups white sugar, 2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature, 1 teaspoon white vinegar
and 1 teaspoon baking soda. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and and put in the cupcake liners in your cupcake pan. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. In a shallow bowl, combine the cocoa and red dye into a paste and set it aside. 

In your mixing bowl, cream the butter, then add in the white sugar and mix these two ingredients together for 3 minutes, it should be fluffy and creamy.

 Add in the eggs, one at a time and do a beating of the batter in between each addition of egg.

 Pour in the vanilla and the red dye/cocoa paste.

 Use your scraper on the ends of the bowl because you will need it to fully incorporate the red dye into the batter. Get the flour mixture and the buttermilk, and add in one third of the flour mixture to the batter then half of the buttermilk, another 1/3 of the flour, the rest of the buttermilk and following the remaining amount of flour mixture. Beat the batter in between each addition and again scrape around the sides of the bowl fully incorporating all the ingredients.

 In another small bowl, add in the baking soda and the white vinegar, you are making a science experiment :-). Remember the vinegar will fizz up!

Add these ingredients to the batter and give it a final good mix, then fill the cupcake liners until they are 2/3rd full.  

Pop your cupcakes into the oven and let them cook for about 15 minutes and test them with a toothpick at the 15 minute mark. If the toothpick comes out clean, then take the cupcakes out and let them cool. If a bit of the batter sticks to the toothpick, let them cook a bit longer.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, you are ready for your cream cheese frosting!

For the cream cheese frosting, you need 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened, 12 0z. of cream cheese, room temperature, 3 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. 

In your mixing bowl, cream the butter, then add in the cream cheese and mix these two ingredients until fluffy. 

Add in the vanilla extract and mix. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing the ingredients together before the next cup of powdered sugar.

 Once the powdered sugar is completely added, get the frosting one last good mix and then frost the top of the cupcakes and decorate as you wish!

Recipe and frosting  found here and here