Blue Suede... Cupcake!

We took a vacation the 2nd week of June and got home the morning of Father's Day. Needless to say, I wasn't really in the mood to bake anything that day, as I was completely exhausted! Lucky for me, the kids were understanding and didn't insist that we bake a Father's day treat for dad until Tuesday. When I asked them what they wanted to make, my daughter said we needed to make something blue, since dad is a boy. I suggested this recipe, and she jumped on board instantly. She is a big Red Velvet fan, so anything with the word 'velvet' catches her attention. Plus, I'd never made this recipe before, so I was able to experiment with with something new.

Blue Velvet Cupcakes
Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

For the cupcakes:
2 c granulated sugar
1 c unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp liquid blue food coloring
1 Tbsp dutch processed cocoa (I used Valrhona, available at Sur La Table
2 1/2 c cake flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 c buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp white vinegar

For the frosting:
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 Tbsp water
2 lbs powdered sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prep your cupcake pans.
In a medium bowl, combine your flour and salt. Set aside. In your mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add your eggs, one at a time, incorporating very well. IN a small bowl, combine cocoa with food coloring, creating a paste, then add it to your mixer. Scrape down your bowl. With mixer on low speed, slowly begin alternately adding your flour and buttermilk, starting and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.Remove bowl from mixer and give it a few stirs, to make sure flour is completely mixed in. Combine soda and vinegar in a small bowl to create a foam, then stir into batter.

Using  your trusty scoop, scoop batter into prepared cupcake liners, filling 2/3 full. Bake for 15-17 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

For your icing, combine vanilla, cream cheese, and 2 Tbsp water.  Beat for about 1 minute, then slowly  begin adding powdered sugar. Beat to incorporate, adding water if necessary to reach your desired consistency. Spread or pipe onto cupcakes, then enjoy!