Photo by LJCupcake
Ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons red food coloring
- 2 teaspoons red food coloring
- 1 1/4 teaspoons vinegar (white or apple cider can both work)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/8 cup water
For the cream cheese frosting
- 1 1/2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 lb butter, room temperature
- 2 lbs powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- 1For the cupcakes:.
- 2Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
- 3Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a bowl and set aside.
- 4In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix oil, sugar, and buttermilk until combined. Add eggs, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla and water and mix well. Add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time and mix on low, scraping down sides occasionally, and mix until just combined. Be sure not to over mix, or the batter will come out.
- 5tough.
- 6Line a 16-cup cupcake pan with paper liners, scoop the batter into the liners and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.
- 7For the cream cheese frosting:.
- 8Whip the butter and cream cheese together in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until creamed. Gradually add powdered sugar to the mixture and scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
- 9The frosting can be used right away, or stored in the refrigerator up to a week.
- 10Frost cooled cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting.