Red Velvet Creepy Cupcakes

Red Velvet Creepy Cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups self raising flour

1 ½ cup caster (white) sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 cup butter (softened)

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons red food colouring

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease 12 cupcake cups or line with paper liners.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
In a small bowl mix the milk and one tbl balsamic vinegar. *

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and food colouring and blend well. One at a time, add the following ingredients: the milk and balsamic vinegar mix, and slowly add in the dry mixture. Pour the batter into the cupcake cups.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched.Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes, then turn out of pan and onto a rack to finish cooling completely. Ice with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

ingredients:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
food colouring.

Place the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and food coloring in a bowl and slowly add in the powdered sugar as you mix. Blend until smooth, then add the food colouring if desired. For H's Birthday cupcakes I separated the icing into three bowls, and made orange, green, and grey (oh yum) for H's Halloween themed birthday party. Honestly its my favourite icing ever, its georgeous.

*Why is there vinegar in the cupcake batter? Baking soda, the ingredient that makes these cupcakes rise, starts to work only when it comes in contact with an acidic ingredient. Some common types used in baking are lemon juice, buttermilk and vinegar. Balsamic vinegar, which has a sweet flavor that goes well with the rich flavor of cocoa. It gives these cupcakes a deep, full flavor. They wont taste anything like vinegar after the batter is baked.

cook's notes: I used the same icing recipe for H's cupcakes and for a batch of vanilla cupcakes (basic vanilla cake recipe here) I made for the Harvest Festival at H's school, they all sold and there was apparently a rush on the brownies I made for the festival as well. They should have charged twice the amount. Frizbe says I should take orders, and bring cakes to school every week to sell.

Autumn Harvest Cupcakes