Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Sometimes words just aren't enough to express what you want to say.  Sometimes you just have to bake your words! 

Red Velvet Cupcakes
140g plain flour
1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
120ml buttermilk
1 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp red food colouring paste
55g unsalted butter, at room temp
170g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 quantity vanilla buttercream (ordinary recipe with 1 tsp vanilla added)
Red luster dust and 12 chocolate hearts, to decorate

Preheat the oven to 180C.  Line a 12 hole non stick muffin tin with paper cases.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, bicarb, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and food colouring together until blended.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in the flour mixture, a third at a time, alternating with a third of the buttermilk mixture, until all is mixed in.

Divide the mixture between the paper cases.  Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 20 mins until springy to the touch.  Remove and turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool.

Once cool, pipe the vanilla buttercream on and sprinkle with some red luster dust and top with a chocolate heart.  Package in gift boxes and give with love!

Makes 12
Taken from 'Eat Me'

I made these yesterday and gave them to some very special people today who have helped me through a bit of a tough time recently.  The cupcakes are just a small thing but they are my way of saying thank you, that I appreciate all that they had done to support me.  And then my daily inspirational quote popped into my inbox and it was like it was meant to be;

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."

William Arthur Ward