Red Velvet Cupcakes

Funny story: My grandma loved Red Velvet cake. Like love, love, loved it. So one year, when she requested it for her birthday, my dad soon found that Wal-Mart was clean out of the mix for it. (And since Wal-Mart was basically the only shopping center around, that was very bad news.) He got a little creative and bought a white cake mix and dyed it red, thinking he could fool her. One bite and she proclaimed, "Oh my goodness, this is the best Red Velvet cake I've ever had!" We seriously all just about died laughing! It's kind of an inside family joke now - the time that Dad lied to Grandma on her birthday. She has passed away since and I don't think we ever did tell her it was a fake.

Don't worry though, this recipe is definitely not a fake. It is the best Red Velvet that I really have ever had! Of course, I don't know how anybody could not love a Paula Deen recipe.

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

• 1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 Tbsp. red food coloring
• 1 tsp. white distilled vinegar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 tsp. cocoa powder

For the frosting:

• 2 - 8oz. pkgs. cream cheese
• 1 cup butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. CUPCAKES: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and combine well until smooth.
5. Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers and fill each one about 2/3 full with batter.
6. Bake in oven for 18-20 minutes - test with a toothpick for doneness.
7. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.
8. FROSTING: Mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until smooth.
9. Add the powdered sugar in small increments, on low speed and beat until incorporated - increase the speed to high and mix until light and fluffy.
10. Frost cupcakes with a knife of pastry bag.

Sometimes when I bake cupcakes, I pretend I'm on the Food Network's Cupcake Wars. You should try it. It's more exhilarating than you'd think!

-Sarah

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