Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes With Hidden Avocado Food

RED VELVET CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
• Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting.
• Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese, softened, butter, sour cream and McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

RED VELVET MINI CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 48 mini muffin cups (2 large tins or 4 small) with paper liners.
• Whisk together the flour, cocoa and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in a medium bowl. Beat together the oil and granulated sugar on medium-high speed with a hand mixer in a large bowl until well combined. Add the egg and beat until well blended. Beat in the food coloring and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla.
• On low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk in thirds, beginning and ending with the flour, beating well after each addition. Whisk together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl, and then beat into the batter until fully incorporated.
• Using a small ice cream scoop sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, evenly divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth and fluffy. Sift the confectioners' sugar over the mixture and beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Spread or pipe the frosting over the cooled cupcakes.

RED VELVET CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. This recipe makes 14 cupcakes, so you will have 2 cupcakes to bake in a 2nd batch.
• With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat 2 egg whites on high speed in a medium bowl until soft peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. See photo at the bottom of this post for a visual. Set aside.
• Sift the flour and cornstarch together to make sure it is evenly combined. Whisk this, along with baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy - about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together fairly well. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the oil and beat on high for 2 minutes. The butter may look "piece-y" and not completely combine with the oil. This is normal and ok.
• Add 2 egg yolks and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the vinegar and the food coloring- until you reach your desired color. I use 2 Tablespoons. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Do not overmix. Fold whipped egg whites into cupcake batter with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. The batter will be silky and slightly thick. (If there are still pieces of butter - and there were in 1 test batch for me - again, this is ok. They will melt inside as the cupcakes bake. Making them even more buttery.)
• Spoon batter into cupcake liners filling 1/2 - 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20-21 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when gently touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Don't overbake; your cupcakes will dry out. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Prepare cream cheese frosting. Frost cooled cupcakes immediately before serving. I used a Wilton #12 tip; I don't recommend a star tip. This frosting is a little too thin.

MINI RED VELVET CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 30 mini muffin cups.
• Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder together in a bowl.
• Beat oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vanilla extract, and vinegar together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Slowly add the flour mixture; beat on low speed until batter is just moistened and still airy. Pour batter into the muffin cups.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert cupcakes carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool, about 15 minutes.
• Beat cream cheese and butter together in a clean stand mixer bowl. Slowly add confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract. Mix on low until smooth. Spread icing over cooled cupcakes.

RED VELVET CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
• In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for 1 minute, until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients alternately in 3 parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and mix until combined. Stir with a rubber spatula to be sure the batter is mixed.
• Scoop the batter into the muffin cups with a 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop or large spoon. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool completely in the pans and frost the cupcakes with Red Velvet Frosting.
• Place the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on medium speed just until combined. Don't whip! Add the sugar and mix until smooth.

RED VELVET VAMPIRE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
• Sift the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, oil, sour cream, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla and egg in another large bowl.
• Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just incorporated. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out with a few moist crumbs, 16 to 18 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and cool completely on a wire rack.
• Microwave the chocolate and coconut oil together in a small microwave-safe bowl until mostly melted, about 1 minute. Stir, then microwave again until completely smooth, about 15 seconds more.
• Use a small sharp knife to cut out and remove a plug from the middle of each cupcake, making sure not to go all the way to the bottom and leaving a 1/4-inch border around the side (eat the plugs). Brush the holes with the melted chocolate and place in the freezer until the chocolate hardens, about 15 minutes.
• Whisk together the jam, 1 drop of red food coloring and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until completely smooth. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the jam into each of the chocolate holes; set aside.
• For the cream cheese frosting: Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the butter until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Scrape into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe on top of the cupcakes so the jam is covered.
• Poke 2 holes into the frosting on each cupcake using the end of a plastic straw to resemble vampire bites, making sure you hit the cupcake and not the jam-filled hole. Drizzle the remaining jam into the holes to resemble blood.

RED VELVET VALENTINE HEARTS (MINI-CUPCAKES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Prepare mini cupcake tins or heart-shaped tins with paper liners or spritz with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a large bowl whisk together all dry ingredients (excluding sugar!).
• In another large bowl mix together buttermilk or soured milk with vinegar and 1 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
• With an electric mixer cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add egg yolks, one at a time until well incorporated.
• Slowly add half of dry mixture, followed by half of buttermilk mixture to creamed sugar mixture.
• Beat until just combined.
• Repeat until all of flour and buttermilk mixtures have been incorporated.
• Add 1/2 oz. of red food coloring, or more to your liking and mix well with mixer.
• Do not overbeat.
• In a small bowl, whisk or beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• Fold into cake batter.
• Fill each muffin tin 2/3 full with batter.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. WATCH CAREFULLY! You do not want these little cuties to burn!
• For Icing:.
• Combine powdered sugar, softened cream cheese, and 1 teaspoons vanilla extract and mix until creamy. Spread on cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

RED VELVET MINI CUPCAKES (WITH HIDDEN AVOCADO)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream sugar and avocado.
• Add egg, red food coloring, vanilla and vinegar; beat to incorporate.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Add half of the buttermilk and half of the dry ingredients to the avocado mixture; stir to combine.
• Add the remaining buttermilk and dry ingredients and stir to combine.
• Spoon batter into 1 1/4" - 1 1/2" paper-lined muffin tins, about 1 tbsp per cupcake.
• Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until lightly golden brown. Cool before frosting.
• To make the frosting, in a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and avocado puree until fluffy.
• Beat in the powdered sugar, honey and vanilla.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes before using.