Red Velvet Cupcake Toppings

By Dominique A Arrington

For this recipe you will need: a medium bowl, 1 ¾ cups of confectioners sugar, 8 ounces of room temperature cream cheese, 6 ounces of room temperature butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, milk, a small bowl, red food coloring, ¼ cup of all purpose flour, ¼ cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup of chilled butter, a cookie sheet, and parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Step 1:

Cut the butter into small cubes no bigger than ¼ an inch.

Step 2:

In the small bowl add your ¼ cup of all purpose flour.

Step 3:

In the same bowl, add your ¼ cup of brown sugar and mix them together.

Step 4:

Once the flour and brown sugar are combined well, add in the ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Step 5:

In a cutting or stabbing motion with a butter knife or small plastic spatula, break the butter up into small pieces into the dry mixture a few pieces at a time. You should start seeing the butter combine with the cry ingredients into small crumbs.

Step 6:

Once majority of the butter has been added and majority of the mixture is crumbled, add 4 drops of red food coloring scattered throughout the mixture.

Step 7:

Preheat your oven for 350° F.

Step 8:

Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper. If you do not have parchment paper at home you can use a well greased sheet of aluminum foil.

Step 9:

Sprinkle your streusel crumbs throughout the cookie sheet making sure that they are not all combined into large clumps.
Step 10:

Bake your streusel at 350°F for about 7-8 minutes and begin your icing.

Step 11:

Let your pretty red crumble cool before adding it as the finishing touch to your cupcakes.

Step 12:

Place the eight (8) ounces of room temperature cream cheese into the medium bowl and begin to whip at a medium-low speed. You want to make sure the cream cheese is room temperature because that will allow it to create the creamy, smooth texture of icing.

Step 13:

Add the four (4) ounces of room temperature butter to the bowl and combine the two ingredients until you start seeing them form into the whipped consistency.

Step 14:

Turn the mixer down to low and add in your 1 ¾ cups of powdered sugar. Incorporate all the ingredients together until it has the smooth whipped consistency of an icing

Step 15:

Once at a good consistency add in your teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix for about another minute.

Step 16:

Check the consistency of your icing, some brands of cream cheese whip better than others. If the icing is a little too thick or lumpy add a tablespoon of milk and mix that into the icing for about 30 seconds. Test the consistency again and add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed until it is the right consistency.

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