Yeeehaw! It's Red Velvet time!

It's been a while since I've done red velvet cupcakes, but I whipped some up for an International Food Day I was helping organise at work.

I often feel at a loss on these days where we are asked to bring something 'international'. You see, I come from a long line of Aussies so I don't have any recipes from the 'old country'. Not satisfied with the prospect of bringing Vegemite sandwiches or snags in bread, my boss suggested I bring red velvet cupcakes as a nod to our American friends.

Ahhh. Cupcakes I can do!

I made mini red velvet cupcakes and topped them with white buttercream and a blue fondant star - my interpretation of the American flag.

These disappeared quickly - with their vibrant red colour and subtle chocolate taste, they were a real talking point.

To make these, I used my vanilla cupcake recipe and added 2 teaspoons cocoa and enough red gel colour to get a vibrant colour. It's important you use gel colour and not supermarket colour as the amount of liquid colour you need may ruin the consistency of the mixture. You can find gel colours at cake decorating stores.