Not-Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red velvet cupcakes have been quite the trend for the past 24 months or so. Chocolate + cream cheese--how could you possibly go wrong?! What really bothers me though is the rich red color. What is up with that anyways? Haha.

So when I finally found the time to make mine, I excluded the red food coloring and came up with these wonderful *not-red* velvet cuppies. Yay. :)

 My ingredients (support local!):

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line 12-cupcake pans with cupcake liners and spray with cooking spray.

Whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl.

 Place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended.

Beat in eggs one at a time.

[This one I skipped:] With machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring (and water or syrup, if necessary). (Take care: it may splash.)

Add vanilla.

Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.

Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds.

Divide batter among 12-cupcake pans, filling each about 2/3 full. [I only had ingredients for 3/4 of the recipe so was only able to make 9 cuppies. *Tear.*]

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

For the frosting:

Place room temperature butter, cream cheese, and vanilla into mixer and blend for 1-2 minutes on medium until fully incorporated.

Add powder sugar, one cup at a time, until frosting is light and creamy.

Thanks to dontaskmetosmile for sharing the recipes (red velvet cupcake and cream cheese frosting).