Get ready for Valentine's with Red Velvet Cupcakes!

With Valentine's Day two weeks away we've already started preparing for it at the bakery.  Our cupcake of the month is a Red Velvet Cupcake with Cream Cheese Icing.  We found a recipe that seemed more moist than others we had tried in the past with a few extra ingredients to make them more flavorful.  Red Velvet can sometimes be bland, but the addition of buttermilk and yoghurt give the cake just a little bit of tang that pairs wonderfully with the hints of cocoa and the cream cheese icing.  The weekend after we made them at work I gave it my go at making this recipe gluten free and had success!  The same great flavor, same moisture but gluten free!  So whether it's for Valentine's or just because you love red velvet try these cupcakes out for a little extra treat!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Recipe adapted from Epicurean Mom
Made Gluten Free by Jesicakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

- 3/4 cup sorghum flour
- 3/4 cup brown rice flour
- 1/4 cup white rice flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking gluten free powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
- 1 1/2 tsp red gel food coloring*
- 1 tsp distilled white vinegar
- 1 tsp gluten free vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 3 Tbsp Greek yoghurt (I used Chobani 0% plain)

*food coloring is an estimate, I did it until I achieved the color I liked.  Use food gel colors if possible, red food dye can have a distinct taste, and to make the cupcakes red you'd have to use A LOT of unpleasant tasting liquid color.  Food gel adds more color with less gel.

Preheat your oven to 350˚F and line two cupcake sheets with cupcake liners.

Combine the sorghum flour, brown rice flour, white rice flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder together.  Sift the mixture into another bowl (Side note: make sure you use a fine salt...all we had in my house was sea salt which didn't make it through the sifter so I needed to add new salt at the end of the recipe).

Combine the buttermilk, vinegar, and food dye in a bowl with a whisk.

Beat together the butter, yoghurt, and sugar with an electric mixture well combined and fluffy.  Add the eggs and the vanilla.  Add the eggs one at a time allowing the first to incorporate before adding the second.

Alternatively add the sifter flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture.  Allow each addition to fully mix before adding the next and scrape down the bowl if need be.  Start with the dry and end with the wet.

Add more food dye if need be...remember, if you add too much red dye it will make your cupcakes taste like food dye instead of delicious cupcake.  One day I want to try coloring them with red wine or beets, but until then food dye will do...just don't over do it!

When your batter is ready, pour it into the cupcake liners.  I use a cookie scoop and fill them 3/4 of the way up.  Bake for around 20-23 minutes, flipping halfway.  Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only a few dry crumbs.

 Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the cupcake sheet.  Transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before icing them (unless you want melting icing).

While your cupcakes are cooling that's the perfect time to make your...

Cream Cheese Icing

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes about 2 cups of icing

Ingredients

- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
- 1 cup of sifted confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla

Cream the buter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Add in the vanilla.  Gradually add the powdered sugar.  Keep beating for several minutes to give the icing a nice constitution.

If you want the icing to be sweeter or need it to be thicker, you can gradually add more sifted powdered sugar.  I like my icing not a sweet so it tends to be a little looser.

Ice your cupcakes once they're completely cooled.  I actually used buttercream too (the ones on the bottom) so my brother could have some cupcakes even though he hates cream cheese icing.

So far I've only had rave reviews.  Plus the simple elegance of the red cake topped with white cream cheese frosting is tough to beat for presentation value.  Between their appearance, their moist cake, and their tangy cream cheese icing, these cupcakes are guaranteed to please!