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Brownie Topped Red Velvet Cupcakes

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Brownie Heart Cupcakes

Brownie Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 sticks of butter
• 6 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbl vanilla

Cupcake Ingredients

• 1 box of French Vanilla cake mix (totally cheating, I know. But you made the brownies from scratch!)
• 1 new bottle of red food dye

Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 sticks of soft sweet butter
• 1/2 pound of confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Beat these all together till smooth, and tada! It’s frosting.

Directions

Heat the oven to 350° and grease a 9-inch pan.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Place butter and chocolate in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring until chocolate melts.

Add sugar, and whisk on medium-high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture. Bake until set, but soft. Once cool, use a small heart-shaped cookie or fondant cutter to cut as many hearts from the tray as possible and set aside.

In the meantime, grab that box of French Vanilla cake mix and the bottle of red food dye. Empty the entire bottle of dye (yes, the whole bottle!) and then follow the box directions. Pour into cupcake papers, filling each 3/4 of the way.

Allow the cupcakes to cool entirely, even pop them in the fridge for a few minutes. Then top each with a dollop of frosting and a brownie heart.