Christmas Dessert: Red Velvet Cupcakes with Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

I love Red Velvet cupcakes. The only time I have made them in the past was through a box mix so I was excited to try making them from scratch. This recipe was delicious and light (in taste not calories). Using an ice cream scoop helps tremendously in getting them into liners neatly and uniformly.

Since I was making these for a family Christmas celebration, I added peppermint extract instead of vanilla extract in the icing to give it a little hint of peppermint flavor. The icing was easy to tint. I used a disposable icing bag and painted a couple of lines of red color tint directly on the bag then added the icing and voila a tinted candy cane looking frosting. I then topped with crushed peppermint to give it a little added decoration.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
2 1/3 cups of cake flour
2 – 2 1/2 tablespoons of Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons of red food coloring
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar

Frosting ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
2 – 3 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of peppermint extract (or vanilla extract during non-Christmas time)

Instructions:

The cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer for 3 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated.

In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring.

Add a fourth of the dry ingredients and mix, then add a third of the wet. Continue adding in a dry, wet, dry pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.

Scoop into cupcake papers, about 1/2 of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes of baking to ensure even baking.

Allow to cool for one minute in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes.

The Frosting:

Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Add the extract and mix. Add the powdered sugar, continually taste to get to desired sweetness. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Linked at: Eat at Home