Red Velvet Heaven!

The other day my cake buddy, Ammy, mentioned red velvet cake. Ever since the thought has stuck in my brain. I've never tasted or tried baking red velvet cake. Isn't that reason enough? All the notoriety, the too numerous to count variations... I went for it. Verdict? Wow and yum.

After searching out tons of recipes and reviews online I tweaked a few amounts with the cocoa, vinegar, vanilla and oil (instead of butter) and decided to do cupcakes. The results have rounded our bellies and we are happily sticky with frosting. I made one batch of cupcakes but two half batches of chocolate buttercream and cream cheese frosting respectively. Both complimented the cupcake flavor I thought.

Red Velvet Cupcakes:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 glob of Wilton Red gel coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Buttercream

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 package cream cheese, softened
1 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
(plus I dyed it orange for fun)