Red velvet cupcakes
MAKES 18
You can make this into a single large cake using two round 23cm tins: sandwich the layers together with the frosting, then ice it completely, so when the finished cake is cut that red velvet pops like nobody’s business.
BATTER
375g (2½ cups) plain flour, sifted 2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted 1 teaspoon baking soda, sifted 1 teaspoon salt 330g (1½ cups) caster sugar 250ml (1 cup) buttermilk 200g unsalted butter, melted 2 eggs, lightly whisked 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract OR vanilla essence 50ml red food colouring
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
375g cream cheese, at room temperature 100g butter, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste OR vanilla essence 185g (1½ cups) icing sugar 1 Preheat the oven to 170°C fan-forced. Line about 18 holes of two 12-hole standard muffin tins with paper cases. 2 To make the batter, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk briefly to mix the dry ingredients, then add the buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and food colouring (make sure you use the full amount, or the cake will turn out an
underwhelming brown colour), and whisk until smooth. Fill each of the paper cases with the mixture until two-thirds full. 3 Bake for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Turn out onto a wire rack, and cool completely. 4 To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat together until smooth. 5 Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle. Pipe a reasonable amount of the frosting on the top of each cupcake. These store very well if refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week, but they are much nicer to eat when brought back to room temperature.