Blue Velvet Cupcakes

Final Four weekend is full of promise -- coincidentally, it is also Easter weekend which, if you are of the Christian variety, is also full of hope and expectation. What parallelism! They should sing "One Shining Moment" in church tomorrow . . . Anyway, I digress. As you saw here, my beloved Dukies are in the Final Four for the third time in the past ten years and this occasion calls for cupcakes. This week, I made these Blue Velvet beauties that are the perfect shade of blue -- as if they were made to be enjoyed by Duke fans.

Now, a word of warning, I had never used gel food coloring. As I write this, my fingers are still blue from where the food coloring touched my skin. And I may or may not have ruined a pair of pajama pants . . . And my tongue may or may not be blue from when I licked the bowl after this:

Anyway, be careful, be very careful. This stuff was potent. But not as dangerous as the delicious, rich flavor of red velvet cake in a smaller, bluer version. Yumm-o and Go Devils!

Blue Velvet Cupcakes

from One Particular Kitchen via Food Gawker

Makes 26 cupcakes.

2 cups sugar

2 sticks butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon Wilton royal blue gel food coloring

1 small dot of violet gel food coloring

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon vinegar

For the Frosting

1 pound cream cheese, softened

2 sticks butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans. Cream sugar and butter in mixing bowl till light and fluffy, then add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Mix cocoa and food coloring together to make a paste. Add this paste to sugar mixture and mix well again. Sift flour and salt, and add to mixture in thirds, alternating with buttermilk, then mix in vanilla. Combine baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl and add to cake batter. Mix just to combine. Scoop into liners until 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of a cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool before icing.

For the frosting -- Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until nice and smooth. Add sugar gradually and beat on low till combined, then on high until very light and fluffy.