the perfect red velvet

every southern girl should know a good red velvet recipe. i hadn't experimented with red velvet before & i had no desire to until i tasted a batch of cupcakes my grandmother made a year or so ago. it was the most amazing red velvet i had ever had the pleasure of putting into my mouth, & i vowed to make it some day.

turns out, it was a simple paula deen recipe. while i originally was planning some dark chocolate cupcakes with raspberry filling for our 4th of july festivities, i whipped out the mixer & got to work on these after my mother reminded me of them. i had never made cupcakes with vegetable oil replacing butter before, so this was definitely something different. i'm really happy with the way they turned out & i can't wait to make them again.


for the cupcakes:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the cream cheese frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

preheat the oven to 350 & line a cupcake pan with 12 wrappers. in a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. in a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

to make the frosting: in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.