Red Velvet Cupcakes

Yesterday we celebrated Brian's mom, Sue's, 65th birthday. It was a great day to be out on the deck and I think Sue had a great time celebrating with her friends and family.

In addition to jalapeno poppers and Swedish meatballs, a number of new apps graced a table laden with goodies, and I'll post the recipes for them this week. 

But, no birthday is complete without CAKE - so let's start with that!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Velvet Cake
1 (18.25 oz.) package yellow cake mix
1 (3.5 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1 oz. red food coloring
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 C water
1 T distilled white vinegar
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour pan(s) or line muffin tin(s) with paper liners.
2. Mix together cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, food coloring, water, vinegar, and cocoa. Pour into prepared pan(s).
3. Bake according to package directions. (I made about 6 dozen mini cupcakes, and they baked for approximately 14 minutes.)
4. Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 C butter, softened
2 C sifted confectioners' sugar
1 t vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until well combined. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar.
2. Store in the refrigerator after use.