Happy Valentine's Day!

"Love is a fire.  But whether it's going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell. " - Joan Crawford

To celebrate the holiday that everyone likes to pretend they hate, I made my valentine some red velvet cupcakes. Of course being the cute wife that I am, I also put heart sprinkles on the top. Unfortunately, my cell phone took a really blurry picture so no photo. :-(

Red Velvet Cupcakes
(makes one dozen )

Ingredients:
muffin pan and cupcake liners
Cream cheese icing ( this one works nicely or store bought can be used as well)
1/4 cup of butter, softened
1/3 cup of shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2/3 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 1-oz bottle of red food coloring
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 tsp salt
2/3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup milk

Steps:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat butter, shortening and sugar until well mixed. Add eggs in gradually. Stir in vanilla and red food coloring. 


Mix flour, salt, and cocoa. Add to shortening mix alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture until well-blended.  Pour batter into lightly-greased cupcake liners in the muffin pan. Fill 2/3. 


Bake for 28 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool before icing and decorating them.