Difficutly: very easy
Time: 5 Min
Portion: 1 serving
Ingredients:
Makes 36 cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
Red velvet cupcakes
3-3/4 cups cake flour
1/4 cups cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder or 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
3/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
3 teaspoons vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 ounce red food coloring paste
2-1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups butter
3 eggs
[NOTES: Can substitute 1 cup minus 2 tbsp AP flour for 1 cup of cake flour]
Frosting
8oz cream cheese, softened
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp peppermint extract
1/3 cup crushed peppermint candies
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F
> Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder (or cream of tarter), and salt into medium bowl
> Whisk buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, and food coloring in small bowl to blend
> Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well fluffy, 3 minutes
> Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition, about 30 seconds
> Beat in dry ingredients in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk mixture in 3 additions
> Scoop into cupcake tins
> Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes
> Cool in pans 10 minutes then move onto racks
To make frosting
> In a medium bowl cream together cream cheese and butter with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth
> Slowly sift in confectioners’ sugar and continue beating. Mix until lumps are gone. Add and mix in vanilla and peppermint extract.
> Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies
** Garnish — melted chocolate design (ie xmas tree) w/ colored sprinkles
My original idea was for the christmas trees to stand vertical in the “snow” frosting but I should have made the chocolate lines thicker since they kept melting and bending while I was working with them. Also not sure if cream cheese frosting isn’t as thick as other frostings because mine wasn’t strong enough to hold the tree up either. Eventually I just improvised and laid them flat after the 3rd one came crashing down… TIIIIIIMBER! hehee.