Jane Dunn’s recipe calls for cream cheese frosting, instead of the quick icing below.
Cupcakes
75 g unsalted butter or baking spread, room temperature (18°C/65°F)
150 berry sugar (caster sugar), or use regular sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp good-quality (gel) food colouring (Sugarflair is good)
1 tsp vanilla extract
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*125 ml buttermilk
175 g all-purpose flour
15 g cocoa powder, sifted
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1 tsp baking powder
1/2 baking soda
1 tsp distilled white vinegar
Preheat the oven to 356°/320° convection (180°C/160°C) convection and get 12 cupcake liners ready. Stir the flour and cocoa together. Beat the butter and berry sugar together until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat again. Add the red food colouring, cocoa powder and vanilla extract and mix again.
Add the buttermilk and flour and cocoa, beat until just combined. Lastly, mix in the baking soda, baking powder and white wine vinegar.
Spoon the mixture evenly between the 12 liners – only two-thirds full and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cupcakes comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool on wire rack while you make the icing.
Icing
3 cups (340 g/12 oz) sifted confectioners’ sugar
6 tbsp butter (85 g/3 oz) soft butter, room temperature (18°C/65°F)
1/8 – 1/4 tsp fine salt
1.5 tsp vanilla
1 – 4 tbsp milk
Cream together sugar and butter. Add salt, vanilla and 1 tbsp of milk and beat. If icing is too thick, add milk until the right consistency to pipe. Using a piping bag and tip 2D, pipe your frosting onto the cupcakes. Feel free to sprinkle cake crumbs over the icing (or not).
*Note:
Make your own buttermilk by mixing 1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar into 125 ml homogenized/whole/full-fat milk (3.25%).
Adapted from: Red Velvet Cupcakes!, by Jane Dunn, Jane’s Patisserie: Deliciously customizable cakes, bakes and treats