Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting - aka Love Cakes

Um, yum! Bake a batch for your loved one on Valentine's Day - or any other day you wanna have a nice, sugary makeout session.

Makes 1 dozen

Ingredients for the cupcakes:
1 cup soy or nut milk
1 t apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dry sugar
2 T cocoa powder
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t sea salt
1/3 cup canola oil
2 ounces red food coloring (you can buy natural food coloring at the health food market or use beet juice!)
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t almond extract (or more vanilla)

Preheat oven to 350 and line a cupcake tin with paper liners.
Add vinegar to soy milk, and set aside to curdle (this is like making faux buttermilk!)
Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Add canola oil, food coloring, and vanilla extract to the curdled soy milk, and mix.
Pour liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix gently (by hand) just enough to incorporate (a few small lumps are okay!).
Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the cream cheese frosting:
1/4 cup margarine, like organic Earth Balance, softened
1/4 cup Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, softened
1 t vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners sugar
Cream margarine, cream cheese, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until fully incorporated (about 2 minutes).
Slowly mix in the confectioner’s sugar (I do it in about four 1/2 cup batches), and then beat until smooth and fluffy (you can add more sugar if the frosting is not stiff enough for you). It will take 5 to 7 minutes of beating to get this nice and stiff!
I like to use my KitchenAid stand mixer to make frostings, it makes the task so much easier!
Ice your FULLY cooled cupcakes and top with candy hearts or some other adorable edible!