Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

Method
Prep:35min  ›  Cook:20min  ›  Ready in:55min 

1. Start by preheating your oven to 160 C / Gas 2-3 and prepare a 12-hole cupcake tray with your favourite cases.
2. Put your butter and golden caster sugar in a bowl and, using a hand mixer, mix on a medium speed until they become pale and well mixed.
3. Add the beaten egg and turn your mixer up to the highest setting and keep going for about 5 minutes until the mixture looks fluffy.
4. Add the buttermilk, vanilla extract, flour and cocoa; mix on a medium speed for 1 minute.
5. In a separate bowl or cup, mix the red food colouring, salt, bicarbonate of soda and apple cider vinegar together to make a paste and then immediately add it to the cake mixture and mix on high for 1 minute until you have a deep red cake mixture. Divide the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. If you insert a skewer into one of the cupcakes it should come out clean and they should feel springy when gently poked.
7. When baked, leave them to cool in the tray for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. For the frosting, beat the butter until it changes colour and looks pale. Add the icing sugar in three lots, mixing well in between each addition. Add the cream cheese and mix for around 5 minutes until silky smooth.
9. To decorate, load up your cream cheese frosting into a piping bag fitted with your favourite nozzle. I used the Wilton 2D nozzle. Top each cooled cupcake with a generous swirl of cream cheese frosting and finish with some red sprinkles.

Tip

For the food colouring I use Sugarflair red extra.