Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red velvet cake was my favourite when I was little.  Forget rich chocolate cakes, red velvet (without the cream cheese frosting!) is pure comfort food for me.  This recipe isn't exactly right, but it's still good!  (Finally I found a more authentic recipe later, so if you want to try it, go here!) I cut down on the red food colouring and used a different frosting recipe than the original site (also included).  The recipe has also been scaled down to be a 2/3 recipe as I didn't want a ridiculous number of cupcakes.  The frosting recipe has been scaled by 1/2 and the whipping cream was left out.

Red Velvet Cupcakes (from Smitten Kitchen) (Adapted from “The Confetti Cakes Cookbook” by Elisa Strauss via the New York Times 2/14/07)

Ingredients
 
2 1/3 cups cake flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch process)
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups canola oil
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons red food coloring
1 tsp vanilla
slightly less than 1 cup buttermilk
1 1/3 teaspoons baking soda
1 2/3 teaspoons white vinegar


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper lines
2. Whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl.
3. Place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. With machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.
4. Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds.
5. Divide batter among cupcake liners, place in oven and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (adapted from recipezaar)

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened (no subs)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 ounces white chocolate or white baking bar, melted and cooled

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioners sugar at low speed until fluffy.
2. Add in melted white chocolate.
3. Beat on high for at least 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.