Rich, moist chocolate cupcakes with a hint of red wine and luxurious cream cheese frosting on top. Make them for a festive Valentine's Day, a bachelorette party, or just because!
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line 12 regular-sized muffin tins with a paper liner.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking soda, and salt, being careful to measure properly (weighing the flour and cocoa is highly recommended!).
In another mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, use an electric mixer to beat together the sugar, butter, and mascarpone until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and the egg, beating until fully incorporated.
Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the wine to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with dry (3 dry and 2 wet additions). Mix until fully incorporated between each addition.
Fill each muffin cup 2/3 of the way full (I use approximately 2 scoops of a medium cookie scoop).
Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until set and cupcake bounces back when lightly touched. You can also use a toothpick inserted, it should come off with a few crumbs. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and set them on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
FROSTING:
Slowly begin to beat together the butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, with cream and vanilla, continuing to beat until fully incorporated and smooth. If desired, add food coloring during the mixing process. Pipe or spread the desired amount of frosting on each cupcake. Top with sprinkles (optional) and enjoy!
Notes
Use a middle-of-the-road, bold-bodied wine that you like to drink. See the recipe post for more wine insight.
I used Wilton's Natural Food Coloring for the frosting.
The process shots have double the recipe as written above.
Per your feedback, this recipe was adjusted when updated to make 12 instead of 24 cupcakes. Easily double the recipe if needed!