Red Velvet Cupcakes

This was a Paula Deen recipe that I used to make jumbo cupcakes for the Fourth of July. They were so rich and delicious that I would actually recommend sticking with the standard cupcake size.

Cupcakes:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

2 tablespoons red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting:

1 pound softened cream cheese

2 sticks butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard or jumbo sized muffin pan with paper cups. In one bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. In a larger bowl, mix together the vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla. In multiple additions, sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Bake at 350 for 20 to 22 minutes for standard cupcakes and 26 to 28 minutes for jumbo cupcakes.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Sift in the powdered sugar until completely combined. Stir in vanilla. Frost or pipe the icing onto the cupcakes after they have cooled completely.