Ingredients:

  • 190g All purpose flour, sifted
  • 15g Unsweetened natural cocoa powder
  • 150g Granulated cane sugar
  • 3g Baking soda
  • 3g Fine sea salt
  • 108g Avocado oil
  • 122g Low-fat buttermilk
  • 60g Plain Greek yogurt
  • 50g Large egg
  • 5ml White distilled vinegar
  • 4ml Pure vanilla extract
  • 10ml Liquid red food coloring
  • 225g Reduced fat cream cheese
  • 55g Unsalted grass fed butter, softened
  • 180g Powdered sugar, sifted
  • 4ml Pure vanilla extract for frosting
  • 0.5g Fine sea salt for frosting

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 175°C and line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. Sift the flour (190g) and cocoa powder (15g) into a medium bowl twice.
  3. Whisk in the sugar (150g), baking soda (3g), and sea salt (3g) until the mixture is a uniform pale brown color. Look for a fine, sand like texture with no visible white streaks of soda.
  4. Combine the avocado oil (108g) and the room temperature egg (50g) in a large bowl. Whisk vigorously for 1 minute until the mixture looks pale and slightly thickened.
  5. Slowly pour in the buttermilk (122g), yogurt (60g), and vanilla (4ml) while whisking constantly.
  6. Stir in the red food coloring (10ml) and distilled vinegar (5ml). The aroma here will be sharp and tangy as the vinegar hits the buttermilk.
  7. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the liquid mixture into the center.
  8. Fold the ingredients together using a silicone spatula just until no streaks of flour remain. Stop as soon as the batter is smooth; over mixing will activate the gluten and make the cakes tough.
  9. Divide the batter equally among the 12 liners, filling them about two thirds full.
  10. Bake for 20 minutes at 175°C. The kitchen will begin to smell like toasted cocoa and warm vanilla.
  11. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center; it should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. The tops should feel springy and not tacky to the touch.
  12. Cool the cupcakes in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Frosting a warm cupcake will result in a melted, greasy mess.
  13. Beat the softened cream cheese (225g) and butter (55g) together in a stand mixer for 3 minutes. The mixture should look pale, almost white, and very fluffy.
  14. Add the powdered sugar (180g), vanilla (4ml), and salt (0.5g) on low speed until incorporated.
  15. Increase the speed to high and whip for another 2 minutes. The frosting should be silky and hold a firm peak when the whisk is lifted.
  16. Pipe or swirl the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and decorate with heart shaped sprinkles or a light dusting of cocoa powder.