Red Velvet Cupcakes

I remember when cupcakes suddenly became popular. As if overnight, the world had fallen in love with the spongy little beauties, with people even queuing for the best ones in New York, thanks to a bit of promotion in the form of Carrie Bradshaw. And much to my approval, the popularity of cupcakes has not yet declined, meaning you can pretty much indulge in them any time, anywhere.

But lets be honest, there's nothing better than a freshly baked dozen of cupcakes that you've lovely mixed & baked just for yourself. I'm happy to consume any variety of cupcake but there's something a little bit special about a Red Velvet cupcake. Perhaps it's the name, the deep red appearance or the particularly soft sponge, but these little beauties just seem a little more luxurious than any others.

Don't let the lengthy and somewhat odd ingredients (apple cider vinegar? really?) put you off. These cupcakes are just as easy to make as any other and this particular recipe, I've tailored it to ingredients I can easily obtain, without a trip to a big supermarket. Go on, give them a go!

Ingredients.

250g Plain Flour
2 Tbsps Cocoa Powder
2 Tsp Baking Powder
½ Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
100g Margarine
200g Caster Sugar
A dab of Sugar Flair Colour (I used Chirstmas Red)
2 Tsps Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
100ml Milk

75g Creme Freche
1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

300g Icing Sugar
50g Unsalted Butter
125g Cream Cheese, cold

Method.

1. Preheat your oven to 180°c and line your baking tins with 20 muffin cases.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder & bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, cream the margarine & sugar until well combined. Add the food colouring & vanilla.
4. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry, around a tablespoon at a time, whilst mixing continuously.
5. When combined, gradually add the milk, creme fresh & apple cider vinegar.
6. Use an ice cream scoop to fill the muffin cases and bake for around 18-20 minutes until the top of the cupcakes bounce back when touched.
7. For the cream cheese icing, combine the icing sugar & butter, beating until combined. Once combined, add the cream cheese and beat until a light consistency.
8. Once the cupcakes have cooled, spread a generous helping of the cream cheese icing on top and decorate with a little bit of red velvet crumbs.
9. Enjoy!

What's your favourite cupcake? Can you resist the Red Velvet?

**This recipe has been entered into the Stuck in the Tree Bakespiration Challenge.**

Happy baking,

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