Red Velvet Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cups well-shaken buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon red food coloring (optional)
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Line one 12-cup muffin tin and half of a second 12-cup tin with paper liners and lightly spray the tops of the tins with nonstick spray.
3. Have all the ingredients at room temperature before you begin.
4. Cream the granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes (see Know-how, page 315).
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
6. Beat in the vanilla.
7. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl and stir to mix.
8. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour mixture, stopping to scrape down the bowl several times and stirring just until all is incorporated.
9. Do not overmix.
10. Stir in the vinegar and food coloring, if using, until thoroughly blended.
11. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins using a 1/4-cup measure or ice cream scoop to fill each cup about three-quarters full.
12. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until springy to the touch and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
13. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.
14. Cream the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
15. Slowly add the confectioners sugar 1 cup at a time and cream until smooth.
16. Add the vanilla and mix until blended.
17. Using a spatula or pastry bag and tip, spread or pipe the frosting on the cupcakes and serve.
18. Although the origins of red velvet cake are up for debate, the cake has been around since long before the popularization of commercially produced food coloring, in the 1950s and 1960s.
19. In fact, the cakes red tint was most likely initially the result of a chemical reaction sparked by mixing acidic buttermilk and vinegar with natural cocoa powder.
20. (The acid also had the effect of softening the cakes crumb.)
21. Over the years, the color was intensified with beets and, finally, the red food coloring that is most often used today.
22. Damon Lee Fowler, my friend and expert on all things Southern, makes a brown velvet cake in which he simply omits the food coloring.
23. Because I dont typically keep food coloring in my pantry, I often follow his lead with this recipe, and both versions are equally tasty.
24. But the bright color is a true crowd-pleaser, especially among kids.
25. You dont need a pastry bag and tip handy to pipe frosting.
26. Just snip the bottom corner off a plastic sandwich bag and use a spatula to fill the bag with frosting.
27. Use the bag as you would a pastry bag, pushing the frosting out through the hole in the corner to create swirls or rosettes.

sugar, unsalted butter, eggs, vanilla, flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, wellshaken buttermilk, white vinegar, red food coloring, unsalted butter, cream cheese, confectioners sugar, vanilla

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/red-velvet-cupcakes-383812 (may not work)