Red velvet cupcakes
Wickedly delicious, deep red and chocolatey, these easy red velvet cupcakes are complete with a rich cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
- 100g/3½oz unsalted butter, softened
- 260g/9¼oz granulated sugar
- 2 free-range eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp red food colouring gel (natural food colouring won’t work here)
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- 250g/9oz plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 120ml/4fl oz natural yoghurt
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
For the cream cheese icing
- 55g/2oz unsalted butter, softened
- 250g/9oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then mix in the vanilla, cocoa powder, vegetable oil, food colouring and salt.
In another bowl, combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder.
In a jug, mix the yoghurt and vinegar with 80ml/2¾fl oz water.
Stir half of the flour mixture into the butter, followed by half the yoghurt mixture. Stir in the remaining flour mixture and then the remaining yoghurt. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases, filling them about three-quarters full.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a thin skewer inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the tin and leave on a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the icing, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth and light. Add the icing sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth. Spread or pipe the icing onto the cupcakes. Scatter over red sprinkles if you like.
Recipe Tips
If you don’t buy name-brand cream cheese, you’ll need to ‘drain’ it before using in the frosting, otherwise it could be too loose. To do this, lay two layers of kitchen paper on a plate. Add the cream cheese and cover with another two layers of kitchen paper, then press down, patting the cream cheese. Peel away the top layers of kitchen paper and tip the cream cheese into the mixing bowl.