Hummingbird Bakery's Red Velvet Cupcakes

I had a go-to red velvet recipe, one I thought I was happy to use for the rest of my life... but then I went to London last October, bought a red velvet cupcake from the Hummingbird Bakery on Portobello... realised I have their recipe book at home, decided to try it and have not turned back since. Their cream cheese frosting recipe is also the one I've been using for years now, so it truly is a perfect pairing!

There were many birthdays in my family this week, and a special one in the manfriend's family... and also I kinda had a craving for a red velvet cupcake (clean eating begins MONDAY!). So, following a terribly self-indulgent Saturday morning, I decided to whip up a few batches of these little babies.

Don't they look pretty? My baby boomer dad surprised me by splitting the cupcake in half and eating it like a cupcake sandwich. Who knew he subscribes to Lifehack pinterest board advice?

Anyway, for those of you still on the hunt for the perfect red velvet cupcake recipe, look no further. The Hummingbird Bakery's recipe is definitely the way to go.

Red Velvet Cupcake
Yield: 12 cupcakes

• 60g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 20g cocoa powder
• 30ml red food colouring
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 120ml buttermilk
• 150g all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare your cupcake liners
2. Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy, then add the egg and beat until fluffy
3. In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder, red food colouring, and vanilla into a thick paste then add it to the butter mixture, beating well to incorporate
4. Add half the flour, beating until just combined, then add all the buttermilk, mixing well before adding the rest of the flour
5. Last step, add the baking soda and vinegar and beat until just combined before dividing the batter into the cupcake liners. Fill the liners 2/3 of the way up, then lower the oven temperature to 165°C and bake for 25 minutes
6. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes into the cupcake tins before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. You may, like my brother and boyfriend, prefer to eat these without frosting... but for the purists who believe that red velvet cake must be eaten with cream cheese frosting, decorate as you will with this cream cheese frosting. I used a Wilton 1M tip to decorate with these darling little swirls.