Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

-Makes 12 regular cupcakes
​
​​My red velvet cupcakes are bright and beautiful, and make the perfect celebration dessert. Moist and fluffy red sponge topped with a luscious saffron-cream cheese frosting - once you make it you'll see how it quickly becomes a family favorite!

Ingredients 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons diluted red food coloring (12g concentrated coloring plus 20g water) OR (30g light natural red food coloring)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons distilled white vinegar
12 raspberries, for topping

Icing: 
113g butter, at room temperature
113g cream cheese, at room temperature
2½ cups icing sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
​Pinch of saffron (optional) 

Recipe
Cupcakes:
​1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Line a muffin tray with 12 cupcake liners.
2. Cream butter and sugar together for 3-5 minutes on medium speed, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
3. Add egg and mix on high speed until well incorporated. 
4. In a separate bowl, combine vanilla extract, red food coloring and cocoa powder to make a thick paste.
5. Add this to the butter mixture, scraping down the bowl with a spatula to ensure that all the batter gets an even distribution of color.
6. Sift half the flour and pour half the buttermilk into the batter and mix until incorporated. Repeat this step for the rest of the flour and buttermilk.
7. Finally, add salt, baking soda and vinegar, ensuring that you don’t over-mix the batter.
8. Using an ice cream scooper, evenly distribute the batter into your lined muffin tray. Bake for 20 minutes at 180˚C.

Icing: 
1. Whip butter and cream cheese (make sure the cream cheese is cold at the start) together on high speed for 3-4 minutes, scraping the bowl down as necessary.
​2.  Reduce mixer speed to low and add icing sugar and a pinch of saffron (optional) until it is incorporated. Finally, add vanilla and mix for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Ice cupcakes, top each cupcake with a raspberry and serve.