Blue Velvet cupcakes

https://juliescafebakery.com/amazing-blue-velvet-cupcakes/

• 

  
  

  

  
• 
  
• 
  
2 cups sugar
• ½ pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp Wilton royal blue gel food coloring
• 1 small dab of violet gel food coloring (I dipped in a toothpick and used that much)
• 2 ½ cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• For the frosting
• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (I hate sifting; I whir it up in the food processor instead to aerate and get lumps out)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F and line cupcake pans with liners
2. Cream sugar and butter in mixing bowl till light and fluffy, then add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg
3. Mix cocoa and food coloring together to make a paste -- this took a while to mix thoroughly with all gel, but it came together nicely; add this paste to sugar mixture and mix well again
4. Sift (or buzz in food processor) flour and salt, and add to creamed mixture a bit at a time, alternating with buttermilk, then mix in vanilla
5. Combine baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl and add to cake batter; mix just to combine
6. Scoop thick batter into cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 full, and bake for probably 25-30 minutes, but start checking at 20 -- mine were done at about the 22/23 minute mark; watch for toothpick inserted in center to come out clean
7. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow cool completely on a wire rack
8. Now make frosting!
9. Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla with electric mixer until nice and smooth
10. Add sugar gradually and beat on low till combined, then beat on high speed until very light and very fluffy