Here is a short and sweet, only slightly belated Valentine’s Day post! These red velvet cupcakes were a simple treat to bring into the office and share with co-workers for a holiday potluck. Luckily, red velvet is always a hit, so you can make these any time of the year!
Cupcakes
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 to 2 tablespoons red food coloring
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer for a few minutes until nice and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time and beat for 30 seconds. Mix in the sour cream, milk, food coloring and vanilla. (Yeah, it gets a “little” red. Don’t worry, the cocoa in the flour mixture will calm it down later. You can add more food coloring if you like the classic red velvet look or less if you just want a hint of red.) Now, mix in the flour mixture and beat slowly until just incorporated; don’t over beat the mixture.
Note: While making this batch, I thought I had sour cream, but alas, I was all out. So I poured 1 1/2 cups of milk in a glass bowl, added 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and let it set for about 10 minutes. I used this 1 1/2 cups of sour milk in place of the 1/2 cup milk and 1 cup sour cream. Still tasted great!
Place paper cupcake inserts into a muffin pan. Fill each cup about 2/3 full with the batter.
Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes. Test to see if a tooth pick comes out clean or if the top bounces back. Let the cupcakes cool for about 2 minutes in the pan. Then, remove them from the muffin pan and let them cool on cooling racks. Make sure you let the cupcakes cool to room temperature before frosting.
Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Mix the cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla and beat until fluffy – about 3 minutes. Add in the confectioners sugar and beat another 5 minutes, until it is nice and smooth.
I like to pipe the frosting on the cupcakes to get a nice thick layer, or in this case, in the shape of a heart. Add some red sprinkles and you’re good to go!