Steph's 26th Birthday

Speaking of Steph's birthday cupcakes (red velvet cheesecake cupcakes), here are a few pics from her birthday celebration:





We went to La Brisa for some Mexican food and cupcakes, followed by Sherlock's for some tom-foolery! Tons of peeps came out to celebrate and we had lots of fun. Special thanks to our DD Ryan and to Steph for cleaning out her hot tub!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes for Steph's Birthday

My friend Steph is a big fan of all things red velvet. However, since I've made red velvet cupcakes, bars, and whoopie pies for her to try in the past, I felt I needed to step things up a bit this year for the bday. I Decided to try out these red velvet cheesecake cupcakes where some cream cheese mixture is poured over the red velvet batter before baking. I think they were very delish, right up there with the chocolate cheesecake cupcakes I make. I put them in these red tulip liners that are really popular right now (and really pretty) so they're a bit bigger than your average cupcake. Check these out:



Recipe
Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes (from Restless Chipotle)

Cheesecake Mixture:
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1c sugar
2 eggs
1t vanilla

Cupcake:
1 stick butter, softened
2c sugar
2 eggs
1/4c+2T dark cocoa powder (dutch processed)
red food coloring
2t vanilla
1c whole buttermilk
2 1/4c flour
1t baking soda
3t vinegar

Frosting:
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter, softened
1t vanilla
1/4c whole milk
powdered sugar

Cheesecake mixture:
Beat all ingredients together until creamy.

Cupcakes:
Preheat to 325F. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beat until well incorporated. Add cocoa and food coloring (I use gel food coloring so only a few drops, liquid food coloring could be a 1/4c), mix until evenly blended. Alternate adding buttermilk and flour, beginning and ending with buttermilk. Stir in baking soda and vinegar.

Assembly:
Fill liner 3/4 full with cupcake batter. Scoop a tablespoon of the cheesecake mixture on top of the red velvet batter. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool Completely.

Frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add in vanilla and milk. Add powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. Frost cooled cupcakes.

This would be a great treat for Valentine's day too! Enjoy!