Anyways, red velvet cupcakes. Pretty much heaven on earth. People were asking me, is there really any difference between chocolate cupcakes and red velvet cupcakes except for the food dye? The answer is yes and no. Chocolate cake usually has melted chocolate in it in addition to cocoa powder to really make it chocolate-y, while red velvet cake only has cocoa powder, so it's not as chocolate-y. It also typically has buttermilk and vinegar in it, whereas most chocolate cakes may have buttermilk but almost never have vinegar. Lastly, I think red velvet cake is usually a bit denser than chocolate cake. Most people like fluffy chocolate cake, but red velvet cake is best with fine crumbs and a bit more dense. It is also topped with cream cheese frosting, which is so good. So that's what I interpret as being the difference, but nevertheless, they're both still amazing.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Cupcakes:
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp. red food coloring
- 1 tsp. distilled white vinegar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Frosting:
- 12 oz. cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup cupcake tins with paper liners; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, and red food coloring. Add the vinegar and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Divide the dough evenly among the paper liners and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix well. Add the confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time, until the frosting is spreadable. Mix on high speed for about a minute extra. Fill a piping bag with frosting and pipe onto the cupcakes once they are cool, or spread on with a knife. Store in an airtight container.