Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients for 12 servings:

• 2 eggs, organic free-range eggs size M
• 100 g butter, room temperature
• 200 g wheat flour
• 1 tsp vanilla sugar
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 20 g cocoa powder
• 240 g sugar
• 200 g buttermilk
• ½ tsp food coloring, red
• 1 tsp vinegar, light
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 600 g cream cheese, double cream
• 1 tsp vanilla sugar
• 145 g powdered sugar
• 360 ml cream, min. 30% fat content

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 5 minutes

Recipe adapted to German ingredients and units of measurement

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) using a mixer on high speed. Beat the eggs and butter until fluffy. The fluffier and lighter the mixture, the lighter and fluffier the final product will be! Stir for 3 to 5 minutes, until everything is a nice pale yellow, almost white. Add the flour, vanilla sugar, baking powder, salt, cocoa, sugar, buttermilk, and food coloring and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda and quickly add to the red mixture. Stir briefly and immediately pour into the baking cups. The mixture will rise very high, so fill the cups no more than halfway. (All measurements are based on cups that have a diameter of 6.5 cm at the top, 5.5 cm at the bottom, and a height of 3.5 cm. If you use larger or smaller cups, you will get more or fewer pieces from my recipe accordingly.) Bake for approx. 35 minutes. Every oven bakes differently. So keep an eye on your cupcakes, especially if you’re baking this recipe for the first time. This recipe calls for a very strong red, reminiscent of cherry juice—that’s what the color should look like in its initial state. When added to the batter, it should take on a blood-red color, similar to pureed strawberries or diluted cherry juice. If you don’t want to use artificial food coloring for your red velvet cupcakes, you can also add some beetroot powder (about 30g – available at pharmacies and drugstores). Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, it’s time for the topping: Beat the cream cheese, vanilla sugar, and powdered sugar on the lowest speed for about 10 seconds until creamy. Stir in the cream on the lowest speed, then beat the mixture on the highest speed for about 1 minute until the cream has set. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 16 or 18 mm star tip, pipe in circular motions, and decorate. The cupcakes can be decorated in various ways depending on the occasion (Valentine’s Day, Christmas, birthday, etc.); for example, with hearts, small candles, stars (made from molded sugar), or candy canes. I decorated my cupcakes with sugared currants. Sugared decorations on cupcakes always look inviting!