Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and make sure the oven rack is in the middle position of the oven. Line standard muffin tins with foil or paper liners.
2. Line up 3 bowls. The larger one or the bowl of your stand mixer will be for the sugar and oil, the medium bowl for the dry ingredients, and the smaller one will be used last for the vinegar and baking soda (wait to mix until noted).

Make the cupcake batter:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, cocoa, and salt. Set aside.
2. Add the sugar and oil to the larger bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. And with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk the sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each egg is incorporated, stopping from time to time to scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed. Once the mixture is smooth, add the food coloring and vanilla and mix well, until the color is even.
3. Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour and cocoa mixture in batches, alternating with the buttermilk, making sure they're mixed into the batter before adding more.
4. Measure the baking soda into a small bowl. Add the vinegar and mix it with a small spoon -it will foam. Add the foamy mixture to the batter bowl and mix it into the batter on medium speed for 10 seconds.

Bake:

1. Fill the lined cups ¾ of the way with the batter. Bake them for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. If you're baking two trays at the same time, make sure to swap positions halfway through baking. Personally, I bake one at a time since the cupcakes have to cool down anyway.
2. Remove the cupcake tray from the oven and let the tray cool down to room temperature before taking each cupcake out of the pan onto a wire rack for frosting. Cupcakes can be baked ahead and kept in the fridge, after they've cooled down, for up to 3 days.

Make the frosting:

1. While the cupcakes are baking make the cream cheese frosting by beating the butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, for about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add the vanilla, then the sugar, 1 cup at a time until the frosting is smooth.
2. Transfer the frosting into a piping bag. The frosting can be made a few days ahead, kept refrigerated, and then brought to room temperature before frosting the cupcakes.

Decorate:

1. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Add sprinkles and a chocolate chip on top for a little more fun. Place the frosted cupcakes on a serving platter or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Storage:

1. Decorated cupcakes can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months, which means you can make these start-to-finish and have them ready in the freezer for any event. Remove them from the freezer and let them come to room temperature up to a day ahead of your party.