Red Velvet Cupcake Tower
Posted on 17/09/2011

How many would it make: 42 portion

Ingredients list:

180g unsalted butter, room temperature
450g caster sugar
3 egg
30g cocoa powder
1 tsp red food colour paste (or sufficient to make nice red mix)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
360ml buttermilk
450g Vitarium plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
4 tsp white wine vinegar

Cream cheese frosting:
600g icing sugar, sifted
100g unsalted butter, room temperature
250g cream cheese, cold and chopped

Method:

Preheat overn to 170c
Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Turn mixer up to high and eggs, 1 at a time, mix well.
In a separate bowl mix together cocoa powder, red food colour and vanilla extract to form a paste. Add to the butter mixture and mix, scraping down sides of bowl as you go, until well combined. Turn mixer down to a low speed and gradually add half the buttermilk mix until combined and slowly add the flour alternating with remainder of buttermilk. When incorporated increase speed and mix until a nice smooth consistency. Turn mixture down to low again add the salt, bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Beat until well mixed, turn up speed again and beat for a couple of minutes.

Using an icecream scoop (this gives even cupcakes), scoop mix into paper cases (placed in a muffin tin to hold their shape) and bake for 20-25 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they do not over brown. They are ready when a scewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
When cold cover with cream cheese frosting and decorate as desired.

Frosting:
Beat icing sugar and butter together on a slow-medium speed until well mixed. Add the cream cheese all at once and beat until smooth. Turn mixer up to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, but do not overbeat or it will become runny.

Other tips:

To make the tower. I used a 40cm polystyrene cone glued to a round cake board. Insert a thick toothpick half way pointing slightly upwards (so cupcake cannot fall of) and insert cupcake, continue around and up the cone until complete. Attach other decorations as desired.