Scarlet’s Red Velvet Cupcakes

24 cupcakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Earlier this year, my publicist Selina Meere asked me to develop a Red Velvet Cupcake in honor of her daughter Scarlet’s first birthday. Here is a terrific Red Velvet cupcake with peppermint frosting, perfect for holiday baking.

For the cupcakes:

1 package (21.6 ounces) Cake Mix Doctor’s Old-Fashioned Yellow cake mix, or your favorite yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
1½ cups milk
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
Half a 1-ounce bottle red food coloring
Note: If you don’t like the flavor of red food coloring, Wilton makes a flavorless red food coloring called “No Taste” food coloring gel.

For the peppermint frosting:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
Crushed peppermint candies, if desired, for topping cupcakes

Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place 24 paper liners in two cupcake pans and set the pans aside.
For the cupcakes, place the cake mix, pudding mix, cocoa, milk, oil, eggs, and red food coloring in a large mixing bowl and blend on low speed of an electric mixer until just combined. Increase the mixer speed to medium and blend until smooth, 1 to 1½ minutes. Scoop the batter into the liners, filling them three-quarters of the way full. Place the pans in the oven.
Bake the cupcakes until the cake springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 20 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool.
For the frosting, place the butter in a large mixing bowl, and blend with an electric mixer on low until creamy. Add 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar, the milk, and extract, and blend until smooth. Add the remaining 1 cup sugar and blend on medium-high until the frosting is creamy and fluffy. Set aside.
When the cupcakes are cool, spread a tablespoon frosting over each one. Garnish with crushed peppermint, if desired.

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