Even though red velvet is essentially chocolate cake with some food colouring, I love it so much more for some reason! Paired with deliciously smooth cream cheese icing, I don’t know about you, but I could eat these all day!

The Cupcakes

250g plain flour

2 tbsp cocoa (sifted)

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarb soda

100g unsalted butter, soft

200g caster sugar

Red food colouring powder or paste

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

175ml buttermilk

½ tsp cider vinegar

The Cream Cheese Icing

225g cream cheese, soft

100g unsalted butter, soft

1 tsp vanilla essence

Icing sugar

Method 

Preheat oven to 180C. Line 2 muffin tins with 24 cupcake patty tins.

Mix flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarb in a large bowl. In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until pale and smooth. Add the vanilla and then the red food colouring slowly until your mixture is bright red.

To the wet mix, add a heap of the dried mix and one egg. Repeat this until all of the dried ingredients are mixed in with the wet ingredients. Finish by beating in the buttermilk and cider until perfectly combined.

Divide evenly between the 24 cupcake patties and bake in the oven for about 20 minute. Check with a skewer to see if they’re cooked through. Let the cupcakes cool on a wire rack while you make your icing.

In a mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until soft and combined. Then slowly sprinkle icing sugar into the mixer, and stop to check sweetness every ¼ cup or so. I prefer my cream cheese icing less sweet, so I would usually only use about a half cup. For those that prefer their icing sweet, add more slowly, just don’t go too heavy handed, once it’s in, you can’t take it out!

Once your cupcakes are completely cooled, pipe the icing onto each cupcake to finish. Enjoy immediately or store in the fridge.

Like this? Check out Rachel's winter hot toddy recipe!