Red Velvet Cupcakes

Wow, this week has been BUSY!  I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day.  The last few days for me have been pretty hectic!

I know I posted a red velvet cupcake recipe a few months ago, but since I made them again recently and have MUCH better pictures this time, I figured I'd post it again. Kind of like a do-over.
I recently made these after committing myself to make 100 cupcakes! 50 of these red velvet cupcakes, and 50 of another special flavor, which I'll share with you in the near future.

So, why you ask, did I make 100 cupcakes?

...for a Valentine's Day-themed bake sale!

A friend of my supervisor's is running in an Iron Man marathon soon, to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). We (my supervisor and I) decided to help him raise money for this cause by holding a bake sale, just in time for Valentine's Day. 

We offered the cupcakes in two different ways.  Some were being sold fresh off the cupcake tower, for those who wanted to eat theirs right away.  We also sold some in individual boxes, tied with ribbons, for those who wanted to take theirs to-go or give as a gift.  I think the boxes turned out so cute!  Don't you?

I can honestly say that the red velvet cupcakes were a huge hit.  Everyone loved the moist, flavorful red velvet cake.  The cream cheese frosting tied it all together, making it an irresistible treat.

I used Merckens red candy melts to create the little hearts on top of each cupcake.  I melted the candy melts in a microwave-safe plastic squeeze bottle, and piped out little red hearts onto waxed paper.  Once they were dry, they could easily be peeled off the paper and placed on top of each cupcake.

I think the simplicity of the tiny heart decoration was perfect for our event.  It added a nice touch to the visual appearance without being too distracting.  And best of all, this red velvet cake recipe is amazing!  It results in a super moist cake, with just the right flavor to blend perfectly with the cream cheese frosting.  I highly recommend trying this recipe if you are a red velvet cake lover!

Red Velvet Cupcakes
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Recipe from Annie's Eats
Yield:  about 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp (1 oz.) liquid red food coloring
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp distilled white vinegar

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp clear vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare cupcake pans with paper liners.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar.  Beat on medium speed until well blended.  Reduce speed to low, then mix in the dry ingredients and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Divide the batter evenly between prepared liners.  Bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.  Mix in the vanilla extract.  Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until incorporated, then increase speed and beat until smooth.  Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

Notes:

• The boxes seen in the photos were purchased from BRPBoxShop.  Their boxes are good quality, they have the fairest prices...and did I mention, FREE ground shipping?!