Festive Deep Red Velvet Christmas Cupcakes

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 1 (18 1/4 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
• 5 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 (3/4 ounce) bottle decorating paste red food coloring
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 3 cups confectioner's powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon decorating paste green food coloring
• 6 tablespoons sanding sugar
• 6 tablespoons red sanding sugar

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2 line a 12 count muffin pan and a 6 count muffin pan with silver foil liners, for a total of 18 large cupcakes.
• 3 in a large mixing bowl, electrically beat cake mix, cocoa, eggs, oil, buttermilk and red decorating paste for about 4 minutes.
• 4 pour batter evenly between the cupcakes until about two-thirds full.
• 5 bake 19-24 minutes or until toothpick comes up clean from center.
• 6 allow to cool for 15 minutes.
• 7 transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
• 8 microwave cream cheese and butter for around 15 seconds to bring to room temperature.
• 9 beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla and the whipping cream for about 3 minutes until fluffy.
• 10 add confectioner’s sugar and beat until desired consistency is reached.
• 11 frost 9 of the 18 cupcakes with ½ of this frosting.
• 12 sprinkle frosted cupcakes with red sanding sugar.
• 13 in the remaining ½ frosting, add green decorating paste and beat until blended.
• 14 frost the remaining 9 cupcakes with this green frosting.
• 15 sprinkle green frosted cupcakes with sanding sugar.