Name: Red Velvet Cupcakes with Creamy Vanilla Icing
Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising); 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened; 2 cups sugar; 3 large eggs, at room temperature; 6 tablespoons red food coloring; 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa; 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; 1 1/2 cups buttermilk; 1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda; 1 recipe Creamy Vanilla Frosting

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Red Velvet Cupcakes with Creamy Vanilla IcingEpicurious

This is one of our most popular cakes at the bakery. Half of the customers love it because they haven't eaten it since their grandmother made it when they were kids, and the other half because they think the red color is really neat. But everyone thinks it's delicious.

Epicurious Test-Kitchen Tip:

This recipe also makes 2 dozen cupcakes. Use 2 muffin pans, each with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups, and line each cup with a paper liner. (There's no need to grease the cups.) Arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and bake the cupcakes, switching positions of the pans halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack before icing. To ice, mound about 1/4 cup of frosting on top of each cupcake and use an icing spatula to make a swirl on top. If desired, decorate with colored sprinkles.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

6 tablespoons red food coloring

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 recipe Creamy Vanilla Frosting

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour three 9- by 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.
Step 2
To make the cake: In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.
Step 3
In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.
Step 4
Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans for 1 hour. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 5
When the cake has cooled, spread the frosting between the layers, then ice the top and sides of the cake with Creamy Vanilla Frosting .

Reprinted with permission from More From Magnolia: Recipes From The World-Famous Bakery and Magnolia's Home Kitchen

TagsCupcake Cake Dessert Southern American Cake Flour Flour Cocoa Buttermilk Dairy Nut Free Easy Baking Electric Mixer Stand Mixer Cookbooks

Ingredients

Preparation

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Step 5

Recipe notes