After much contemplation, I’ve decided to give my recipes away more often. There’s not much point in keeping them a secret! And if you guys like baking as much as I do, I am SO happy to share them with you. So, on this lovely restful public holiday, I present to you my red velvet cupcake recipe. By now you must know how much I love red velvet.

Red Velvet Cupcakes (makes 12)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of cake flour
• 1 cup of sugar
• 10g cocoa (about 1/8 cup)
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 113g butter (at room temperature)
• 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• red food colouring (I use Cake Flora, but you can use any brand you like).

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees (Celsius).
2. Set aside a 12-cup cupcake tray with cupcake liners.
3. In a large-ish bowl, cream the butter until smooth.
4. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy and white (this should take about 3 minutes with an electric mixer).
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well after each one is added.
6. Add red food colouring to the milk until the milk is bright red.
7. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk.
8. Now it’s time to spoon the batter into the cupcake liners. They should be about three-quarters full.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.