{Red Velvet Cupcakes}

Thanks to Martha Stewart, I made these homemade Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting this past weekend for a fun Valentine's Day shoot! 

I used this recipe for the cupcakes, and this for the cream cheese frosting. Both were super simple to make and delicious! Add a (little) jumbo sized- heart shaped sprinkle, and voila - instantly makes it the perfect Valentine's Day dessert! 

• Red Velvet Cupcakes
• Ingredients: 
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self- rising), sifted
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon red gel-paste food color
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
• 
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in food color and vanilla.
3. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds.
4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. 
5. To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingredients:

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract.

{Red Velvet Cupcakes & Cream Cheese Frosting}

Martha Stewart & the Food Network make baking easy :)

ps- rest of the shoot coming soon!