holiday themed cocktail cupcakes!  peppermint red velvet cupcakes with marshmallow vodka cream cheese frosting.  i recommend you serve these at your family gathering to make everyone a lot more fun.



cake
know what i recommend?  red velvet cake mix from the store.  short of that, yellow cake mix with cocoa powder and red food coloring.  but if you insist on homemade, here's what i do:

mix 2.5 cups flour, .5 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda and .5 tsp salt in medium bowl.

in another bowl, beat 1 cup softened butter and 2 cups sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. beat in 4 eggs, one at a time.  mix in 1 cup sour cream, .5 cups milk, 1 ounce red food color and 2 tsp vanilla extract. gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended.  mix in .5 cups finely crushed peppermints.  spoon batter, 2/3 full, into paper-lined muffin cups.

bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.



frosting
cream together, at room temperature, one 8 oz block of cream cheese with one stick of unsalted butter.  increase the cream cheese if you really like that flavor to stand out more.  (a ratio of 12 oz cream cheese to 5 oz butter is good for that)  then, one cup at a time, mix in 5.5 cups of powdered sugar.  once that is all mixed in, add between 3 to 6 tablespoons of marshmallow vodka and beat until fluffy.  this frosting holds up really well and is great for piping and for travel.

frost your cooled cupcakes, add some sprinkles, and enjoy!