#13 Red Velvet Cupcakes

I had oft heard tales told of the Red Velvet Cupcake, but I had never seen or tasted one in real life. Sadly, there was no tasting as the cake has cocoa, but MrsDrWho inhaled the smell of the freshly cooked cakes and declared them delicious without even taking a bite. After a bite? Agree(1000)!!!

Also, gird your loins, because this is post #13,. It's not triskaidekaphobia, it's the fact that we are one quarter of the way through the year already, and I have stuck to my Monday Munchies for thirteen weeks.

For more Red Velvet Cupcake action, look here!!

Red Velvet Cupcakes makes about 20

• 125g butter
• 300g caster sugar (1 1/3 cups)
  
• 2 eggs
• 250ml buttermilk
• 30ml red food colouring*
• 1 tspn vanilla extract
• 1 tspn bicarb soda
  
• 3 tspn white vinegar
• 250g plain flour (1 2/3 cups)
• 30g very good cocoa powder

• 500g cream cheese (Philly)
• 125g butter
• 500g pure icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tspn vanilla extract
  

Preheat the oven to 180*C and line two 12 hole muffin trays with paper cases.Cream the butter and sugar and add the eggs, buttermilk, food colouring and vanilla and beat till combined. Stir in the bicarb soda and vinegar and then the flour and cocoa.Spoon into the paper cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, They will be cooked when the top springs back when pressed lightly, and the cake has shrunk from the edge of the tin.Cool on a rack and then ice when the cakes are cold..

To make the icing, soften the butter and cream cheese, add the vanilla and beat till smooth and fluffy. Slowly add the icing sugar. Whip till it looks like frosting.

*Some recipes say Cochineal, other red food colouring. I could only buy Pillar Box Red and so that's what I used.