Averie Cooks

Cupcakes
-1 Line two 12-count standard cupcake pans with liners; set aside. Preheat oven to 375F.
-1 To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl and handheld electric mixer, add the butter and beat on high speed until smooth and creamy.
-1 Add the eggs, vanilla, and beat until smooth and incorporated. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
-1 Ad the white vinegar and beat momentarily to incorporate.
-1 Add the buttermilk, oil, and beat to incorporate.Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
-1 Add the cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and beat to incorporate.
-1 Add the red food coloring, as desired, and beat to incorporate. Tips - Use gel food coloring for best results. In my experience, the color mellows as it bakes so I go a bit heavy handed with the food coloring knowing it does tone down in the oven and that the finished cupcakes are not as vibrant as the batter appears.
-1 Slowly add the flour, in 1/2-cup increments, and beat after each addition; however take care not to overmix or your cupcakes will be tougher.
-1 Add 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of batter to each cupcake liner.
-1 Add one chocolate truffle*** (See Notes) to the center of each.
-1 Top each with additional batter, until they are 3/4-full. Don't overfill.
-1 Bake for about 13 to 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Tips - If possible, bake both cupcake pans on the same oven rack, in the middle, and rotate once midway through baking. When checking for doneness, remember that there's a truffle inside so don't confuse the melted chocolate with batter.  Notes - If you aren't going to fill these with truffles, they will take slightly longer to bake, about 2 to 4 minutes additional and you will yield 1 or 2 less cupcakes overall since a bit more batter is being used per cupcake.
-1 Allow cupcakes to cool in the pans, for about 10 minutes, before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool completely. While they cool, make the frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
-1 To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl and handheld electric mixer, add the butter, cream cheese, and beat on high speed until smooth and creamy. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
-1 Add the vanilla, salt to taste (helps balance the overall sweetness of the frosting), and beat to incorporate.
-1 Slowly add the confectioners' sugar in 1/2-cup increments and beat to incorporate. Tips - If your frosting is a bit too thick, add a tablespoon of milk or half-and-half to thin it. And conversely, an extra tablespoon or two of confectioner’s sugar will thicken it up if it’s a bit too thin to pipe.
-1 Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with the decorating tip of your choice. You can use any type of piping tip you like. I used a classic 1M tip but any tip will work. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes as desired. Note - You can also skip the piping bag and simply spoon the frosting onto the cupcakes if desired.
-1 Optionally garnish with festive sprinkles, as desired.
-1 Cupcakes can be served immediately or chilled before serving. Cupcakes will keep airtight at room temp for up to 24 hours OR airtight in the fridge (I recommend a cupcake carrier) for up to 1 week.