Red Velvet Cupcakes

I thought I would share this recipe with you. I entered a dessert contest at my co-op, since it's close to Halloween the theme is "slightly gross but tasty", so I'll be using this recipe for my cupcakes.

Pictures to come!

Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
2 ½ cups cake flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp. (1 ounce) red food coloring
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. distilled white vinegar
For the cream cheese frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese (straight from refrigerator- do not soften)
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 – 3 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions
To make the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tins with paper liners and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together cake flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine eggs, oil, buttermilk, red food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar. Mix on medium speed until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and beat first on low speed and then on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners, filling each a little over halfway full. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until a tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 16-18 minutes.
Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
To make the cream cheese frosting:
Beat together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 3 cups powdered sugar and mix on low speed until incorporated, and then medium-high speed until frosting reaches desired consistency, about 3 more minutes. For a stiffer icing, add more powdered sugar. Beat in the vanilla extract. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes as desired. Store frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator.

This recipe can be found here: http://kristineskitchenblog.com/2014/04/24/red-velvet-cupcakes-cream-cheese-frosting/