Red & Green Velvet Cupcakes with Peppermint Swirl Frosting

Red velvet is definitely my go-to recipe for cupcakes, but I wanted to change it up a little bit for the holiday season! The cake is still rich and moist, while the decadent buttercream frosting ads just a hint of peppermint to get you into the holiday spirit! And achieving that red and white swirl frosting is easier than you think! Bake a batch for your upcoming holiday party or family get-together, but I won’t judge you if you save them all for yourself! 😉

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Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

Red Velvet:

2 Tbs unsalted butter, softened

6 Tbs sugar

1 egg, whisked and divided

1 Tbs red food coloring

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbs + ¼ tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup low-fat buttermilk

½ cup + 2 Tbs all-purpose flour

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

¾ tsp distilled white vinegar

Green Velvet:

2 Tbs unsalted butter, softened

6 Tbs sugar

Half of the whisked egg (see above ingredients)

1 Tbs green food coloring

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbs + ¼ tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup low-fat buttermilk

½ cup + 2 Tbs all-purpose flour

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

¾ tsp distilled white vinegar

 

For the frosting:

4 oz cream cheese (half of a package), softened

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3½ cups powdered sugar

1 tsp peppermint extract

Red food coloring

1 candy cane, crushed

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

The easiest way to make these is to get out two large mixing bowls and complete the instructions for both the red and the green versus doing one batch completely and then starting on the second.

(1.) In large bowl, cream together sugar and butter until fluffy (repeat in a separate bowl for green velvet).Add one half of the whisked egg and beat until mixed.

(2.) In two separate bowls, mix together food coloring, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder until it’s a smooth paste.

(3. and 4.) Add to the batter and mix well. (5. and 6. Slowly add in buttermilk and flour until mixed in.

Add baking soda, salt, and vinegar and mix until all dry ingredients are combine and batter is smooth.

(7.) Distribute batter evenly in cupcake liners. Place in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

(8.) Remove from the oven and let pan cool for 5 minutes.

Pop the cupcakes out and let them finish cooling on a cooling rack. While you’re waiting for the cupcakes to cool down you can make the frosting!

(9.) In a medium bowl, cream together softened cream cheese and butter until creamy. (10.) Slowly add powdered sugar in and continue to beat until smooth and fluffy. Stir in peppermint extract until well mixed. Spoon half of the mixture into an icing bag (the Wilton disposable bags work perfect for this), leaving half of the frosting still in the bowl. (11.) Add 35-45 drops of red food coloring, (12.) stirring until completely mixed. Feel free to add more for a darker red!

Spoon red frosting into a separate icing bag. Snip about half an inch off the bottom of the bags and tie the tops shut with a rubber band.

Place both bags inside of a third bag with a 1mm star tip (if they don’t quite fit you may need to spoon out some of the frosting from the two bags).

When cupcakes have completely cooled, frost cupcakes, and top with crushed candy cane.

Serve right away or make the night before. Store in the refrigerator until 1-2 hours before serving, allowing the cupcakes to come back to room temperature.

Enjoy!