***For the cupcakes***

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 22 muffin cups with paper liners. (You can make 24 with this recipe, but I like filled cupcakes to be a touch larger, so only made 22)

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in cocoa powder until well combined, then beat in the eggs one at a time.

In a measuring cup, combine buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring. Working in two or three additions, alternate adding some of the flour mixture and some of the buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture, ending with an addition of dry ingredients. Mix only until just combined and no streaks of flour remain visible. Divide evenly into prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 14-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Turn cupcakes out to cool completely on a wire rack.

***For the filling and frosting***

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat at high speed until smooth, gradually adding the confectioners’ sugar until a thick and spreadable consistency is reached. Additional confectioners sugar may need to be added to thicken frosting, especially if humidity is high in your area.

Transfer frosting to a pastry bag or a large ziploc bag with a corner cut off before beginning to assemble cupcakes.

***Assemble cupcakes***

Take a cooled cupcake and, using a small pairing knife, cut a cone of cake (1-inch across by 1-inch deep) out of the top. Trim off the pointy end of the cone, leaving a flat circle of cake. Set aside and repeat this process for all the cupcakes.

Take the cream cheese frosting and squeeze a tablespoon or so into each cupcake cavity, filling the hole up to the top with filling. Top off with a flat circle of cake to plug the hole and keep the filling in place.

Squeeze some more frosting on top of each cupcake and use a small knife or offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.

If you have leftover frosting, add some red food coloring to it and transfer it to a fresh ziploc bag. Cut a very small opening in one corner. Pipe a swirly line down the center of each cupcake.