RED FOOD COLORING RECIPES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes:
• Preheat oven 350 degrees F. 
• Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a bowl and set aside. 
• In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix oil, sugar, and buttermilk until combined. Add eggs, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla and water and mix well. Add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time and mix on low, scraping down sides occasionally, and mix until just combined. Be sure not to over mix, or the batter will come out tough. 
• Line a 16-cup cupcake pan with paper liners, scoop the batter into the liners and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.
• For the cream cheese frosting:
• Whip the butter and cream cheese together in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until creamed. Gradually add powdered sugar to the mixture and scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. 
• The frosting can be used right away, or stored in the refrigerator up to a week. 
• Frost cooled cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting.

Steps:

• For the Red Velvet Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) round layer cake pans.
• Sift flour, baking soda and coco together. Beat sugar and eggs together in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl mix together oil, vinegar, food coloring, and vanilla. Add to the bowl of eggs and sugar and beat until combined.
• Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the wet mixture by alternating the buttermilk and dry ingredients. Always start with the flour and end with the flour.
• Pour batter into pans. Tap them on the table to level out the batter and release air bubbles. Bake for 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted near the middle comes out clean but be careful not to over bake or you'll end up with a dry cake.
• Let layers cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before turning out of pan. Cool completely before frosting.
• For the cream cheese frosting: This is the "official" cream cheese frosting recipe but we always use about 1 1/2 recipes on each cake to cover it well.
• Let margarine and cream cheese soften to room temperature. Cream well. Add sugar and beat until mixed but not so much that the frosting becomes "loose". Add vanilla and nuts. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cake.