Red Velvet Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 170c. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with patty cases.

Place butter and sugar in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly add the egg and beat until everything is well mixed.

In a small bowl, mix the food colouring, cocoa powder and vanilla extract until it makes a thick paste.

Add the paste to the butter mixture and beat thoroughly until the colour is mixed evenly through the batter. Be sure to scrape down any stray batter from the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The mix should be a deep rose pink/red.

On slow speed, slowly add half the buttermilk until just mixed then add half the flour until just mixed. Repeat for the remaining milk and flour.

Add the salt, bicarb and vinegar, beating only until they are fully incorporated.

Spoon a heaped tablespoon of mixture into each paper cases until no more than two-thirds full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes on the centre oven rack, or until the top of a cupcake bounces back when lightly touched. (A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean).

Once the cupcakes have cooled slightly in the tray, remove them and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese frosting.

In a food processor or electric mixer, beat the icing sugar and butter until it has a sandy texture.

Dice the cream cheese into smaller cubes then add to the mix one-by-one, beating until completely combined. Do not worry if the mixture seems too thick halfway through; it will thin itself out as more and more cream cheese is added.

On medium-high speed, continue beating the frosting until it becomes light and fluffy. This takes around five minutes.

When the cupcakes are cold, pipe the cream cheese frosting on top, or use an icecream scoop to dollop the frosting on the top.

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