Red Velvet Cupcakes

Everybody loves cupcakes. And you certainly don't need a special occaison to indulge however these red velvet beauties with a rich cream cheese icing are the perfect Valentine's day/week treat. The recipe is from my Martha Stewart Cupcake book and I have to say it is the very best I've ever had. The cake is incredibly moist and tender and perfect. The recipe as its published makes two dozen cupcakes however I've halved it below to make just one dozen. Actually I ended up with just 11 cupcakes which was plenty for me and my Valentine to share this week. Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour 1 packed tablespoon of cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt 3/4 cup of sugar 3/4 cup of vegetable oil 1 large egg at room temperature 1 tablespoon of red food coloring 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract 1/2 cup buttermilk 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper liners. I found festive white liners with red dots at Michael's. (Martha Stewart's line.) Whisk together flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl. Beat the oil and sugar in a standing mixer (or with a hand mixer) on medium high speed until well combined, about three minutes. Add the egg and beat well. Mix in the food coloring and the extracts. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk- scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times. Mix until just combined. Mix the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will bubble up) and then mix it into the batter. Mix for 10 seconds until everything is incorporated. I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup coated in vegetable oil to portion the batter into the muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting. Cream Cheese Icing: I've posted this before and I'll toot my horn again in saying this is the best cream cheese icing you'll ever eat. 8 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature 3/4 stick of butter, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste if you can find it 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract 3/4 lb (3/4 box) of confectioners sugar Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer (paddle attachment) until smooth and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl a couple of times. I'll say it a third time: its critical that these be at room temperature first. Add the extracts and sugar (sift the sugar in a bowl first to ensure no lumps) and beat well, scraping down the sides periodically. I tend to favor the "rustic" frosting method whereby I spoon a big dollup of frosting onto the cupcake and then use a butter knife to spread it evenly, leaving "homey" swirls in the icing. Frankly they are beautiful just like this... I'm not the most artistic cook in the kitchen however a little inspiration from the one and only Martha Stewart had even me creating a few fun and festive design ideas for you. For a more polished look, you can pipe the icing onto the cupcakes. starting at the outside, swirling inward will stack the icing per below. I then held the cupcake on an angle and poured some pink sparkle sugar on one sidee and white on the other for a temptingly sweet yet professional looking presentation.

Hug and kiss cupcakes are adorable as well. For these I used cinnamon candies to create x's and o's.

My favorite however was probably the simple "hand frosted" cupcakes with a little decorative sparkle sugar. Nothing says "be mine" like something that looks and tastes perfectly home made.

Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Let come to room temperature before serving.