As Promised... Red Velvet Cake Recipe

Okay, for starters, I'm sorry I haven't posted this sooner.  The weekend got away from me, but here it is: Gloriously Delicious Red Velvet Cupcakes with Melt-in-your-Mouth Cream Cheese icing.  Every good Southern girl should have this recipe in her cook book, right?  Just don't make it into an armadillo as an ode to Steel Magnolias, and we'll be fine.  :) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together:

• 
  
  2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 
  
  1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 
  
  1 teaspoon baking soda
• 
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt

Set this bowl aside for later. 

Beat 1 cup butter (softened) and 2 cups sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed for five minutes or until light and fluffy. 

It's important to use real butter, here peeps.  None of this margarine or low-fat stuff.  Real.  Butter.  You can do it, suck it up. 

Whip it until it looks like this: light and fluffy. 

Now, add in eggs (4), one at a time. 

It's important to do this one at a time, so the whipped batter can breathe and absorb in the eggs completely. 

Next, mix in 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 ounce red food color, 1 ounce red wine vinegar, and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract. 

Then whip it, whip it good.

Gradually beat in your flour/cocoa mixture on LOW speed until just blended. 

Do not overbeat. 

Spoon that batter into your muffin pans, filling each cup 1/2 full. 

Bake 20 to 25 minutes, then cool in pans before putting icing on them. 

Frost with vanilla cream cheese frosting, which you make by doing the following:

Beat together the following until light and fluffy:

1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup of butter, softened

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

16 ounce confectioner's sugar

Confession:  I would have pictures of this frosting, but I was mildly preoccupied licking it off my fingers and spatula. 

Don't judge me; it was a weak moment. 

There are no pictures of this, for obvious reasons. 

Enjoy the bliss!

(Special thanks to Izzy's Curly Cakes Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe!)