Red Velvet Cupcakes, part 1

After walking in New York for what seemed like 10 hours, we finally hit up Buttercup Bakeshop. I ate a red devil cupcake immediately after purchase, and then I went to Heaven.

When I came back, I searched for the recipe. I was unable to find the exact one, but I did find one here and here. They're both pretty much the same, but I mainly focused on the Cupcake Bakeshop recipe and just looked to the other for double checking.

What came out was a pretty moist cupcake, but the frosting was still way too sweet, even though I cut it down by almost half. Also, I'd cut the cocoa a little bit (I added more than the recipe asked for), because to me the cocoa taste was slightly overpowering. Oh and I would cut the recipe for the frosting by at least half. I didn't put that much frosting on my cupcakes (because it was too sweet) so I had a LOT leftover. Now I need to make more cupcakes for the leftover frosting.

Here's the final recipe (Cupcake Bakeshop's recipe, with my slight changes *):

Cupcakes
3-3/4 cups cake flour
1/2 cups cocoa*
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
3 teaspoons vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 ounce red food coloring dye*
2-1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups butter
3 eggs
Yield: 36 cupcakes
-Preheat oven to 350°F
-Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl
-Whisk buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, and food coloring in small bowl to blend
-Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well fluffy, 3 minutes
-Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition, about 30 seconds
-Beat in dry ingredients in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk mixture in 3 additions
-Scoop into cupcake tins
-Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes
-Cool in pans 10 minutes
-Cool completely on racks

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
12 ounces or 1-1/2 packages of Philly cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
2-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar*
seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Bring cheese and butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours
Sift powdered sugar into a bowl
Beat butter and cheese at medium speed until creamy
Add sugar and beat until combined
Add vanillas and beat until combined