Bobby Flay Throwdown Red Velvet Cupcakes and Cream Cheese Icing

I saw this recipe on the Food Network show Bobby Flay Throwdown. He challenged a lady who has a cupcake store. This is the recipe she uses and says she sells the most of. You want to make these huge. She makes them to feed 2 people. Opening them up and cutting them in half like a regular cake. The icing recipe makes alot,,,but plan to use a heaping scoop on top of the cupcake. Since you cut it in half and eat it with a fork every forkful can dip into the icing. I double the cocoa amount for more flavor. Also,,it calls for 2 tbs of red food coloring, it does make it very red,,but even 1 tbs will make it red enough.

• Ready In: 1 hr 25 mins
• Yields: 16 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 3  cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons  unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1⁄2 cups  vegetable oil
• 2 1⁄4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1⁄4 cups buttermilk
• 3  eggs
• 2  tablespoons  red food coloring
• 2  teaspoons  red food coloring
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons vinegar (white or apple cider can both work)
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1⁄8 cup water

• For the cream cheese frosting

• 1 1⁄2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature
• 1  lb butter, room temperature
• 2  lbs powdered sugar, sifted
• 1  tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. For the cupcakes:
2. Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
3. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a bowl and set aside.
4. In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix oil, sugar, and buttermilk until combined. Add eggs, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla and water and mix well. Add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time and mix on low, scraping down sides occasionally, and mix until just combined. Be sure not to over mix, or the batter will come out.
5. tough.
6. Line a 16-cup cupcake pan with paper liners, scoop the batter into the liners and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.
7. For the cream cheese frosting:
8. Whip the butter and cream cheese together in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until creamed. Gradually add powdered sugar to the mixture and scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
9. The frosting can be used right away, or stored in the refrigerator up to a week.
10. Frost cooled cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting.