Red Velvet Cupcakes

Method

1. Heat the oven to 175°C conventional or 160°C fan. Line a standard 12-hole muffin pan with paper cases. Bring the egg and buttermilk out only briefly to lose their chill; keep cream cheese refrigerated until preparing the frosting.
2. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together, then stir in caster sugar. Use natural unsweetened cocoa for this light-cocoa cake; a large amount of dark cocoa changes both colour and texture.
3. Whisk egg, oil, buttermilk and cake vanilla in a jug until combined. Add food-grade red colouring a little at a time according to the manufacturer’s strength, then whisk in the vinegar. The colouring is optional for flavour but required for a vivid red appearance.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry and whisk gently only until smooth. Divide immediately between the cases, filling each no more than two-thirds full, roughly 55–60 g batter per case. Bake for 18–22 minutes until the tops spring back and a skewer comes out without wet batter.
5. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes, then move cupcakes to a rack and cool completely, approximately 1 hour. Never frost warm cakes: the cream cheese will melt and the topping may slide off.
6. Beat frosting butter until smooth, gradually beat in icing sugar and frosting vanilla, then add cream cheese and mix only until combined. If too soft to hold a swirl, chill for 15–20 minutes rather than continuing to beat and loosen it. Spread or pipe modest amounts over the twelve cold cakes.
7. Refrigerate frosted cupcakes in a covered container and use within 2 days. Remove only the portion being served for about 15 minutes to soften. Unfrosted cooled cakes can be wrapped and frozen for 1 month; thaw in the refrigerator before frosting.