I have cooked many different red Velvet Cakes but this one has to be the top of the list

Prep: 30minutes mins

Cook: 20minutes mins

Cooling: 1hour

recipe by recipetineats

INGREDIENTS:​

• 1 1/3 cups cake flour (sub plain flour, Note 1)
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt

WET INGREDIENTS:​

• 60g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
• 2/3 cup caster sugar
• 2 large eggs , at room temperature
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil (or canola)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk , at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp red food colouring (yes, 1 whole tablespoon!)

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:​

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter , softened
• 170g Philadelphia ir home brand block cream cheese , softened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups soft icing sugar mixture

Instructions​

CUPCAKES:​

• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line a standard 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake liners.
• Sift Dry ingredients together into a bowl.
• Cream butter: Put the butter in a separate bowl and beat on speed 2 for 1 minute with an electric mixer or stand mixer (paddle attachment).
• Cream sugar: Add sugar then beat for a further 2 minutes, same speed, until the butter is very pale yellow, almost white.
• Beat in eggs: Add the eggs one at a time beating for 30 seconds on speed 1 after each addition.
• Add remaining Wet ingredients: Add oil, buttermilk, vanilla and red food colouring then beat on Speed 1 until incorporated and the batter is smooth.
• Beat in flour: Sprinkle the Dry ingredients across the surface and mix on Speed 1 for just 20 seconds. Scrape down sides of the bowl, then mix again for 10 seconds. The batter should now be smooth – few small lumps is ok. Do not keep beating – overworks batter = cupcakes not as soft!
• Fill pan: Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake liners – it should fill 3/4 of the way, but it depends on the size of the cupcake liners you use.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the middle cupcake comes out clean.
• Cool: Immediately remove cupcakes onto a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting with cream cheese frosting.

FROSTING:​

• Cream butter: Place butter in a bowl and beat for 1 minute until it's smooth and starts to become paler in colour – speed 6 on stand mixer, speed 9 for electric beater.
• Cream cream cheese: Add cream cheese then beat for a further 1 minute on the same speed until smooth.
• Add icing sugar: Add icing sugar in 4 batches, beating in between until incorporated, starting on speed 1 so you don't get a dust storm in your face!
• Beat until fluffy: Add vanilla and salt, then beat for 2 minutes until fluffy – speed 6 with stand mixer, speed 9 with electric beater. It should be creamy but still hold its shape in a peak. If it's too sloppy, place in fridge for 30 minutes, then beat again.
• Pipe: Transfer into piping bag with desired piping tip. Pipe onto cupcakes – makes enough to generously frost 12 cupcakes as pictured in post or just spread on with a knife

Recipe Notes:​

1. Cake flour makes the cupcakes a little more tender and “velvety” (true to its name!) and gives it a sweet shaped dome. Plain flour works fine too but the crumb is not quite as tender and the dome will have a slight peak shape (which isn’t a big deal if hidden under mound of frosting!)

This is the flour I use and is available at ciles and woolworths. I use it for biscuits as well