I made these cupcakes as one of the desserts for the grown folks at Kaili’s Fiesta. Martha never fails me, so I knew I would use her recipe. Of course you must have cream cheese frosting, nothing else will do.

I used gel food coloring that I found at a craft store for the cake and frosting, the color is much more vibrant than the liquid food coloring. I also  found these cute cupcake toppers. Planning a party is so much fun, don’t you agree?

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Recipes

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon red gel-paste food color

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with paper liners. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in food color and vanilla.

Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 pound (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then vanilla; mix until smooth.

* I wanted a few different colors of frosting, so I divided the frosting into 3 batches and colored them separately. You can use a spatula to frost them, that’s the easy way or you can get fancy and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.

Enjoy!