Red velvet cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting

 Moist red velvet cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Red velvet cupcakes have always been a classic favourite.

One of the obvious reasons is because of its appearance. A bright red cupcake, frosted with some cream cheese. These are perfect for Valentine's day, if you are looking for something special to bake for that occasion  I am simply just baking these for fun, and my mum actually asked me last minute yesterday to bake some cupcakes, as her friends were coming over.

A lot of my friends asked me what I put in red velvet cupcakes to get its colour. It's simply just red food colouring and some cocoa!  I'm on the hunt to find a good recipe where it uses beetroot or red carrot, so it's more natural and vibrant. If anyone knows a good recipe, please leave a comment or shoot me an email ! 

You can even dress it up with some pretty darn cute muffin liners! And top it off with a heart.

Red velvet cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting

Adapted from Joy the baker

Makes a dozen cupcakes, or double the recipe to make a 2 layer 9-inch cake.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons of red food colouring
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk *
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour *
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

* To substitute buttermilk, put a teaspoon of lemon/lime or vinegar in the milk and let it stand for 5 minutes.
* I used self-raising flour, and also added the baking soda

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment (or by hand), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg and beat until well incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, make a paste using the cocoa, vanilla and red food colouring. Add to the batter and mix thoroughly until well combined.
5. Slowly add half of the buttermilk, and then add half of the flour and salt. Mix until combined, and do the same with the remaining milk and flour. Beat on high until smooth.
6. Turn the mixer to low and add baking soda and white vinegar. Turn back to high and beat for a few more minutes.
7. Spoon batter into muffin liners in a cupcake baking pan, amd bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit (160 degrees Celsius, but I continued to bake at 180). Bake for at 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cupcake comes out clean.
8. Let rest in the pan for 10 minutes, and then place on a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

Cinnamon cream cheese frosting

Recipe to frost a dozen cupcakes, or else double the recipe to frost a 2 layer 9-inch cake.

Ingredients:
2 and 1/3 powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons butter (42 grams), room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese (113 grams) , cold
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon *

* I would up the cinnamon amount to 3/4. I could barely taste the cinnamon with just 1/4 teaspoon.

Method:
1. Beat the powdered sugar, cinnamon and butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment. Mix until it comes together and is well mixed.
2. Add the cream cheese all at once, and beat until incorporated.
3. Beat for another 5 minutes on medium-high speed, or until the frosting becomes light and fluffy.
4. Do not over-beat as the frosting can quickly become runny.
5. Frost cupcakes as desired. I used the Wilton 1M icing tip.