Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes

These are a variety of cupcake I've wanted to try for a long time, so when I offered to make cupcakes for a good friend's housewarming it seemed the perfect excuse to give them a shot!

If you've never run across them before, red velvet cakes are a largely American phenomenon. They consist of a chocolate sponge coloured the most gorgeously rich red, hence the name. They are then, traditionally, filled and/or topped off with a generous amount of cream cheese frosting.

Anything with cream cheese frosting is bound to be good as far as I'm concerned, so naturally these had to be tried!

The result was very pleasing indeed, the cake having a wonderfully light and fluffy texture with a subtle chocolate flavour. Somehow, the combination of their miniature size and that gorgeous, intense red colour seemed to make these little beauties seem more sinful than your average cupcake!

So, without further ado, here's the recipe.

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes (makes 24 minis, plus enough batter left for a few standard-sized cupcakes too)

• 
  
  160g plain flour
• 
  
  1 tsp baking soda
• 
  
  75g soft butter
• 
  
  150g sugar
• 
  
  1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 
  
  1 large egg
• 
  
  125mls buttermilk
• 
  
  half tbsp white vinegar
• 
  
  1 tsp vanilla extract
• 
  
  1 tbsp red food colouring (if making for vegetarians don't use cochineal!)

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Line 24 mini-cupcake cups with mini cupcake cases.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the cocoa powder until well combined, and follow with the egg. Beat until smooth.

Combine the flour and baking soda together in a small bowl. Set aside, and in a measuring jug mix together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and food colouring.

Add about a third of the buttermilk mix to the sugar/egg mix, follow with the same of the flour mix, and lightly combine. Repeat this twice more, until all the mixes are used up. The batter should be just combined, with no white flour remaining.

Divide the batter between the cake cases and bake for 15-20 minutes, until they spring lightly to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool cakes on a wire rack.
Once completely cool they are ready to be topped off with that wonderful stuff they call cream cheese frosting!

Enjoy!

Becka x