Red Velvet Vampire Cupcakes

October 9, 2011 by Geni - Sweet and Crumby 70 Comments

The Halloween party has begun early over here with these Red Velvet vampire cupcakes. This recipe honestly will rock your world and will beat out any other Red Velvet recipe in any throwdown, showdown or bake-off. Trust me. And with the new McCormick black and their red food coloring, it was easy to make an everyday Red Velvet cupcake into a blood-sucking vampire.

On to these adorable cupcakes…I mean scary cupcakes. Yeah, I am no expert like Bridget from Bake at 350. I know. My piping skills are definitely lacking but these cupcakes were so easy that they turned out great despite me (Perhaps that was because my artistic daughter, Zoie, and my hubby did the ones you see here…mine look like a kindergartner did them!). Get the kids involved…they love putting on the Red Hots and teeth!

They are soft, perfectly moist and rich, and the cream cheese frosting is smooth and tangy. I just added a touch more chocolate than the recipe originally called for and the bright, infamous red of these cupcakes came from the red in the McCormick basic food colors pack.

Well, let’s start the party!
This post was linked up on Sweet Tooth Fridays!

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Makes about 16 cupcakes
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons McCormick red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon McCormick vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting
10 ounces cream cheese brought to room temperature
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
McCormick Black food coloring for hair, mouth and pupils for the eyes
red fruit leather for teeth cut into tiny triangles
Red Hot candies for eyes or red tinted frosting with McCormick Red Food coloring

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld. Add half of the dry ingredients to the liquid mixture and combine on low speed and then add the last half of the dry ingredients and combine until incorporated. Don’t over beat.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 full. Bake for about 20 minutes. Cupcakes are done when slightly firm to the touch or clean to a toothpick test. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a handmixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

For the black frosting of the vampires: Use 1/2 c. of the frosting and add 5 drops of McCormick’s Black food coloring and mix. Frost the cupcakes with the white frosting first. Then, using a piping bag and small round piping tip, pipe the hair and mouth. Cut tiny little triangles of the fruit leather for teeth. Place two Red Hots for eyes, use a toothpick to dot on some black frosting for the pupils. Pipe a straight line for the mouth and place two teeth onto the mouth. Now enjoy and have a great time partying!