Red Velvet Cupcakes with Traditional Frosting

Hello everyone! Happy Monday!!!

I've got a wedding coming up this weekend that I'm making the cake for, but it's for a recipe I've not tried before. So I thought I would do a moch-up of the recipe today to test out and OMG I just had to share!!! I did your typical Red Velvet Cake Recipe into mini cupcakes with a traditional Red Velvet Frosting that I got from Ree Drumond the Pioneer Woman! That woman is absolutely amazing and she's totally correct when you won't be turning back after trying it! Sounds really weird to make, but it is absolutely the most delicious and creamiest frosting I've ever tasted! Will possibly be trying to adapt this to chocolate and different flavors as well!!!

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Makes 48 mini or 24 normal

1/2 c. Butter
1-1/2 c. Sugar
2 Eggs at Room Temp
2 Tlb. Cocoa Powder
3 Tlb. Red Food Coloring {1 oz.}
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 c. Buttermilk at Room Temp
2-1/2 c. All Purpose Flour
1-1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 Tlb. White Vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare mini muffin pan {24 liners}
2. In a stand mixer, cream butter & sugar until smooth.
3. Make a paste of cocoa powder & food coloring, add to stand mixer and cream until combined. {about 3 minutes}
4. Mix Buttermilk, Salt & Vanilla in a small bowl. Alternately add flour & Buttermilk mixer to stand mixer beginning and ending with flour. Mix until smooth.
5. In a small bowl, mix together baking soda and vinegar and fold into batter.
6. Using a mini scoop, fill mini liners 1/2 full of batter.
7. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

*Note, I only have 1 mini cupcake pan, so I have to make one batch of 24 and then another, but the recipe will yield 48 cupcakes.

Traditional White Frosting for Red Velvet
Frosts 48 mini cupcakes or 24 regular sized cupcakes

1 c. Whole Milk
5 Tlb. All Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 c. Butter
1 c. Granulated Sugar

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat milk & flour together until a thick consistency. Set aside to cool completely. {DO NOT SKIP this part, allow it to cool completely before moving on!!!}
2. In a stand mixer using whisk attachment, cream together butter & sugar for 8-10 minutes until smooth and not grainy.
3. Once consistency of butter/sugary mixture is smooth and creamy, add the milk/flour mixture to stand mixer. Whisk all together on medium speed for about 10 minutes until light and fluffy and resembling whipped cream. {If the frosting is separated, you haven't whisked enough, so keep going!!!}
4. Once desired consistency is achieved, frost and enjoy! Be sure to taste a little before you frost so you are able to get a bite!!! LOL...

Until next time...