Red Velvet Cupcakes with Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

In October I put up my Red Velvet Ex-Girlfriend Cupcakes recipe
and everyone loved them! Well.. everyone except the exes themselves ; ) so here’s the recipe again only with a December twist! The peppermint cream cheese frosting melts in your mouth while the crushed up candy canes give it a nice crunch! I took these to a party last night and they went QUICK! So if you’re doing any baking over the next few weeks, these are a must!

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Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 egg

2 ½ Tbs unsweetened cocoa

2 ½ Tbs red food coloring

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ cup buttermilk*

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp distilled white vinegar

*For the buttermilk you’ll want to use a ½ cup liquid buttermilk OR 2 Tbs of powdered buttermilk blend and a ½ cup of water.

For the frosting:

4 oz cream cheese (half of a package), softened

1 stick or a ½ cup of unsalted butter

3½ cups powdered sugar

1 tsp peppermint extract

3-4 candy canes, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

(1.) In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter until fluffy, (2.) then beat in the egg. (3.) In a separate bowl, mix together cocoa, food coloring, and vanilla extract until it’s a smooth paste. (4.) Add to the batter and mix well.

Slowly add in buttermilk and flour and mix for another 1-2 minutes.

Add baking soda, salt, and vinegar and mix until all dry ingredients are combined and batter is smooth.

Distribute batter evenly into cupcake liners and place them in the oven.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let pan cool for 5-10 minutes. Pop the cupcakes out and let them finish cooling for 10-15 minutes on a cooling rack. While you’re waiting for the cupcakes to cool down you can make the frosting.

In a medium bowl, cream together softened cream cheese and butter until creamy.

Slowly add powdered sugar in and continue to beat until smooth and fluffy. Stir in peppermint extract until well mixed. Use right away or store in the refrigerator to use later. Remember to remove from the refrigerator and set out at room temperature about 20 minutes before use.