red velvet chocolate chip cupcakes*

No better way to ring in the New Year (I know I'm a bit late) then with an absolutely divine dessert! These little babies were dessert for the students last week, and were an amazing little treat (a.k.a. the last amazing thing we are going to eat for 3 months) for me and my staff before we started in on the Biggest Loser. I was excited that there were a couple left the next day so that I could devour one just before the weigh-ins. You may call it cheating, but I call it just another part of my cupcake top - or as everyone else calls it "muffin top".

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
from Gingerbread Bagels

Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups canola oil
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ounce red food coloring (2 Tablespoon)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 Tablespoons all purpose flour

Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract

For the cupcakes:
Sift together the cake flour, sugar, baking soda, kosher salt and cocoa powder. Set aside.
In a bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the canola oil, buttermilk, eggs, red food coloring, vanilla extract and white distilled vinegar on medium speed for 3 minutes.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients on low speed until almost combined. Take a spatula and fold the ingredients together.

Mix the chocolate chips with 1 Tablespoon of all purpose flour.

Add them to the cake batter and fold them in with a spatula.

Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Using an ice cream scooper, scoop the batter into each cupcake liner.

Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 10 minutes on a cooling rack. Then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the chocolate cream cheese frosting:

Sift together the powdered sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder in a bowl. Set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the cream cheese and unsalted butter on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth.

Add in the vanilla and mix.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients on low speed and mix to combined. Then increase the speed to medium and mix for 1-2 minutes until smooth.

Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cupcakes. Enjoy!

If the frosting is too thin: place it in the refrigerator until it has firmed up.
If you want to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes: place the frosting in a piping bag fitted with a star decorating tip. Then put the piping bag in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.

-alyssa*