Ingredients

For the Cupcake:

• 120g Unsalted Butter
• 300g Caster Sugar
• 2 Large Eggs
• 50g Cocoa Powder
• 2 Tsp Red Food Colouring
• 300g Plain Flour
• 240ml Buttermilk
• 1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 1 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
• 1tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
• 1/2 Tsp Salt

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 300g Icing Sugar (Sifted)
• 100g Cream Cheese
• 50g Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature)
• Pink Food Colour

For the Decoration:

• Sugar Sprinkles of choice

Tools

• kMix Special Edition Chrome

Method

For the Cupcake:

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (fan 160°C)
2. Prepare your muffin tin with cupcake/muffin cases
3. For the cupcakes mix together the red food colouring and the buttermilk in a bowl and leave to one side.
4. Sift together the flour and cocoa powder and salt, leave to one side.
5. Add the butter and sugar together in the bowl of your Kenwood food mixer and attach the K beater. Cream together on medium speed until well combined.
6. Add the eggs one at time, mixing well on medium speed until each is combined.
7. Add the vanilla paste.
8. Scrape down the bowl of your Kenwood mixer and then beat again on a higher speed until the batter is light and fluffy.
9. Take the flour, cocoa and salt mixture and add a third to the batter. Mix together on slow speed until the flour is combined.
10. Take the red buttermilk mixture and add a third of this to the batter and mix again on slow speed until everything is combined.
11. Continue to add the buttermilk and flour mix in stages until they have all been added and you have a deep, velvety red cake batter.
12. In a separate small bowl stir the white wine vinegar and the bicarbonate of soda together and as it froths add to the batter. Give the batter one final mix on slow speed until everything is combined.
13. Spoon the red velvet cake batter evenly into the cup cake cases.
14. Bake in the oven for approximately 20-25 minutes until light and springy to the touch. Allow to cool in the muffin tin before removing to decorate.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. For the cream cheese frosting use the K beater in your Kenwood mixer and add the soft butter. Sift in the icing sugar.
2. Beat together on slow speed until the icing sugar is incorporated into the butter, then increase the speed to high until the butter is light and fluffy.
3. Add the cream cheese to this and beat again on high speed until the cream cheese is well mixed in.
4. Carefully add a touch of the pink colour with the tip of a knife and mix. Judge how much colour to add depending on how pink you would like the frosting to be. The colour will possibly get stronger as it stands so take care not to be too heavy handed.
5. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.

For Serving:

1. Either spoon a tablespoon of cream cheese frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and smooth over with a palette knife for a rustic finish or spoon into a piping bag fitted with a plain round savoy piping nozzle and pipe a large bulb of frosting in the centre of each cupcake.
2. Decorate with your chosen sprinkles, more red velvet cake crumb or cut out sugar paste hearts.

Chef's Notes:

1. Gel/Paste Colours are the best for these Cupcakes.