Red Velvet Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

So firstly I want to say happy Family day to my Canadian readers.  I hope there are a few of you.  Not sure what our plans are today, but I hope it involves lots of sleep.  That would be my kind of family day.  Either way we both have the whole day off, so maybe some skating, or X box connect bowling, or sleeping.  I could do either.  Anyway that is that.

This looks like a small amount of butter, I just have a big mixing bowl.  Just in case you were wondering.

So last week I posted about the Chocolate Cream Cheese I tried, and how it was amazing.   Anyway, I loved it.  I got a few comments from some people who said they loved it, or they had not tried it and even a few saying they were not fans.  I can get that.  I really would have hated it too if I used it as a spread for toast.  Honestly I do think that is what they were going for, but I was having none of it.  Anyway I made some yummy frosting with it, and used it two ways.  This is the first way, and by far the best of the two.

My favorite spatula, it may be for Halloween, but I use it all year round.  I am a rebel that way.

And this picture is just kind of gross, but it's in focus so you have to see it.  Sorry.

I had promised Pork Chop some red velvet cupcakes during the week, and when there were none at the store I said I would make some.  I found a great recipe I love on My Baking Addiction  I first posted it here.  And have since made it many times.  So I set to work, I doubled the recipe I have listed.  I wanted enough for cupcakes and a cake to make cake balls.

I made 48, Pork Chop ate 2 I think.

Pork Chop complained the whole time about wanting one right now, and then when they were all done he said he didn't want one but he said I should frost 10 for him and leave 10 plain for him.  I made mini ones, and he hates frosting, so I compromised and put 7 plain ones in a container.  He ate one after it was all said and done.  Sigh.

Are they not pretty?  I tried to do a rose with the icing, but then I got lazy and just did swirls, but whatever, there are sprinkles so they are totally fancy!

So the frosting, oh my gosh the frosting was awesome!  I know that classically red velvet is meant to be a cream cheese icing combo.  So in that vain I made my frosting with the new chocolate cream cheese.  I have to say, I actually liked it better than plain cream cheese icing.  And my friends loved it, they were sneaking back to the break room every so often to eat another one.  I cannot blame them, I did the same thing.

So this icing was a little different as the cream cheese is a spread and much more watery.  So I just sort of winged it and it was not too hard.

I saved these take out containers they are the perfect size, and they didn't cost me anything.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing
based on me tossing stuff in a bowl

(keep in mind this made lots, enough for 40 minis cupcakes and a bunch of cake pops, I still have some left over, I am going to use it soon, don't you worry!)

-1 1/2 tubs chocolate cream cheese spread
-1 cup butter
-1 TBSP vanilla bean paste
-5-8 cups of icing sugar
-milk if you need to thin it out

So start by creaming your butter, you want it smooth with no lumps.  Then beat in the cream cheese spread and beat until it comes together.  At one point it looked like it was just going to be a huge failure, but I kept mixing and it was fine.  Add your icing sugar 1 cup at a time, and mix well to make sure you don't add too much.  Now at this point I tried it and I felt it needed vanilla, so you can add it now, or before the sugar, either way.  I didn't need any milk as I found that I used so much icing sugar, but whatever you have to do, you do it.

So then I just piped a little swirl on my cupcake and sprinkled on heart sprinkles, because I had them out and was way too lazy to get different ones.  Then I ate a few, and then packed them up for work.

I have to say I am really impressed with this picture, try not to think about the fact I really cropped out a lot, focus on the yummy!

It really was a nice frosting, not overly chocolaty and you could tell it was cream cheese but it was not too cheesy if you get what I mean.  So yum, this is going to be a favorite for sure.

I also want to share a funny story about Pork Chop and these cupcakes.  A few days after I made them we were hitting the grocery store after Costco, I suggested sushi and he was all over it.  He likes the veggie ones.  Anyway we are walking in and I ask if he wants a cupcake, he tells me  yes, a red velvet one.  I told him sure, but why won't he eat the ones I made?

"yours aren't very good actually."

Said with a straight face.  My own Pork Chop, said that, to me!  I just laughed because dude has his issues, and if one of them is that my cupcakes are not the best, well I can deal.

Then we are at the bakery and he saw a chocolate mousse cake.

"OMG that is gross, a chocolate mouse cake!!!!"

I told him it was a mousse cake, no one would bake a mouse in a cake.

"That is still gross, moose in a cake is gross."

I just didn't know how to answer that really.  The guy at the bakery was laughing a little, and Pork Chop was looking at him like he was crazy, as we walked away he says "I bet he doesn't like moose in his cake either."

I told him he was probably right.  Things like that make having kids worth while, they are so funny and they don't even know it.